


Unstoppable

by Omoni



Series: Abovetale [28]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alphynecentric, Alphys/Undyne-centric, Coma, Comfort Sex, Description of Suicide Attempt, Discussion of suicide/suicidal tendacies, F/F, F/M, Forgiveness, Gen, Grand Finale, Lewff, Loss and Recovery, Love through struggles, Retirement, Suicide Attempt, assassination attempt, physiotherapy, public shooting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-03
Updated: 2018-01-26
Packaged: 2019-02-04 04:15:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 32,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12762942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Omoni/pseuds/Omoni
Summary: On Frisk's 50th birthday, a final attempt on her life is made - only for Undyne to take the shots for her.As a result, not only is her life at risk, but her family is, in many ways, brought down with her, too.The title comes from the song of the same name by Sia.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this, it seems, will be the official finale of Abovetale. Save the short stories collections, I don't see myself expanding or adding more stories to this series. Of course, I've said this before, many times, but truly, at this point, I honestly do not see any more stories - at least like this - in the future for Abovetale.
> 
> This could always change, of course, be it a request or a plotbunny, but again, I doubt it. 
> 
> I hope this is a good ending for this series :).
> 
> (I'll post a final note at the end of this with my final thoughts on the matter.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to post this draft early (I had planned to post it once TFFAHM was done), because there was a risk it would get deleted before I could. Sorry; this won't be updated after this until Flags is done. (I'm so sorry.)

On Frisk's 50th birthday, everything was going according to wonderful, festive plan. New Solace Home was practically spilling out people into the streets with its mirth, and within made the street displays pale in comparison.

That was also the day the final attempt on Frisk's life was made.

It was Undyne, with her large, sweeping and sensitive ears, who heard it first - someone sneaking in the copse of trees nearby - and had jumped to shield Frisk right away, not even thinking about it.

Three shots rang out; only two hit Undyne.

The last was held by Sans.

The moment the bullets hit, Undyne immediately assumed they were fatal; they _felt_ fatal. She held Frisk by the shoulders tight - she'd had to in order to move her out of the way - and her eye went wide the moment she felt the pain hit, first her upper, then middle, back.

Frisk's eyes flared, her front splattered with blood - even her face, just a little - and Undyne staggered, her breaths going ragged the moment the pain assaulted her. Her knees suddenly gave out, and Frisk grabbed onto her upper arms, trying to keep her on her feet.

In that moment, she tried, with everything she had, to summon that power that had saved her before, when she'd been shot in the shoulder and was desperate to save Alphys. But her mind was fading too fast, and she couldn't do it. She tried, but she couldn't do it.

And that's when she knew she was dying.

Undyne stared at Frisk, seeing the horror in her eyes, and desperately, she hung on long enough to grate out, "Take care of them for me, Frisk... Take care of them for me... _Please!_ I love them... so... much... A-Alphy... I-I'm... sorry... Al-Alph-Alphy..."

Then, her eye dimmed before it closed, and she dropped, Frisk stumbled to the ground with her.

Before everything went to nothing, she heard her wife screaming, and was sorry for it.

* * *

Alphys _was_ screaming, as she ran as fast as she could towards Frisk and Undyne. She stumbled, her heart racing so hard she thought it would break, and when she heard both of her daughters suddenly cry out, she felt it crack.

But all she could see was Undyne, fallen on the ground in a heap in Frisk's lap, Frisk shaking her to try and rouse her, her other hand already holding her phone to her ear and yelling into it. 

Alphys dropped to her knees and pulled her wife from Frisk, sobbing out her name as she pulled her into her arms. Undyne was terrifyingly limp, like a ragdoll in her arms, her red and white hair covering part of her pale face, and she didn't respond or react.

 _"Undyne!"_ Alphys cried, her voice still more akin to a scream than anything else. There was blood, so much of it, already staining both Frisk's and Alphys's clothes, but neither cared. 

Alphys held Undyne to her and listened, hearing her wife breathing quickly and sharply, her heart racing to keep up. "Undyne, hold on, love!" she pleaded into Undyne's ear. _"You better hold on, Undyne!!"_

But she didn't even twitch.

"Mommy--?!"

"Mom, _no!!"_

 _"Papyrus!"_ Alphys shouted, and Papyrus, who was already on his way over, heard her and put an arm around Basket and Dandelion each, holding them both back and out of view - even as he trembled, his eyes on his fallen friend.

Sans's left hand was raised, standing with the other in his pocket, a bullet at his feet. His burning left eye flicked around in its socket, then flared alongside a twitch of his finger. Someone in the crowd shouted - then shrieked in shock and pain - and Sans grinned, but held them still.

 _There's too much blood,_ Alphys realised. Even as Frisk was ordering help, even as Nickname and Asriel knelt down to help, Alphys could only think of that. It was leaving the one person Alphys couldn't bear to see bleeding, and she took off her shirt and started ripping it with her teeth and claws, clad only in a camisole and bra but not caring - not even when they both got stained red, too.

Nicky held Undyne resting on her front, draping her over her lap as best as she could, as Alphys worked to clear and bind up the gunshot wounds while they waited for help. (Asriel was holding Frisk, shaking and in tears alongside her.) The bullets were both still in Undyne, which explained why she had blacked out so quickly. Alphys carefully checked them before she bound them, noting their positions and filing away the possible circumstances that came with wounds to the back.

She did this calmly, automatically, while her brain screamed at her to get up and murder that human and steal their soul.

* * *

When help came, it was just in time, as Undyne was deathly pale and her breaths were shallow. When they opened her eye to check for pupil reaction, Alphys yelped: the usual yellow was lined with dark grey; still thin, true, but the fact that it was there sent Alphys into a sudden shock of pure terror, that ring too real for her.

And as a result, she lost control.

She would be ashamed, later, at her age and intelligence, to have to admit to succumbing to something so primal and instinctive, but there was no avoiding the truth.

 _"Undyne!"_ she shouted, pushing between the paramedics and grabbing hold of her shoulders, shaking her. She suddenly remembered a moment almost just like this, only the roles were reversed.

And she felt on the verge of insanity.

Undyne was dying, right in front of her and their children and family, and she couldn't do _anything_.

 _"Undyne!"_ she screamed it, her voice breaking and her tears falling free. "Stay with me, Undyne, please! _Please!_ Don't go, don't go, _don't go, don't leave me!!"_

And for hours, that was the last coherent thing she said. Because from there, she was a mess of sobs, of screams, of terror and agony and anger. She flung herself upon her wife's chest, sobbing so hard she choked on it, and she wouldn't let go - not even when they pulled on her. They'd all forgotten that she was now a determined monster, injected with adult DT, and thus moving her would require great strength, indeed.

Papyrus let go of Dandelion and Basket, and the moment he did, Dandelion went into her sister's arms like she was a toddler again, clinging onto her like a baby koala and sobbing into Basket's shoulder. Both Olceal and Basket gathered her close to them, though they, too, were crying - especially upon seeing Alphys lose control. (Papyrus tried to help, but was pushed away.)

Basket knew her mothers were solid together. They were unbeatable, unstoppable, and when placed together, nothing would tear them apart. She had seen Undyne weep for Alphys before - but she'd also seen Undyne become consumed by her grief that, not only had she kept fighting after being shot, herself, but had also been so consumed that it had taken almost a dozen people drag her away from Alphys, who'd just lost her pulse and was about to turn to dust, and _still_  she'd kept fighting for her right to be by Alphys's side.

Basket remembered that, because Undyne wouldn't stop fighting them - or screaming - and she needed to be knocked out, lest she hurt her own injuries to the point of irreversible damage. And even then, after being sedated, she'd tried to fight that, too.

So Basket had known that Undyne was terrifying if ripped from Alphys due to violence.

She'd never expected to see the same in her shy, gentle mum.

Not that Alphys was weak, or a pushover, or never fought. Rather, she always fought in a way that left her the one who never started, but would always finish.

Except now.

Alphys was refusing to move, wrapping her body around Undyne's and screaming at anyone who touched her, even Papyrus - who kept trying. Her eyes were wild, glazed with deep panic and corrosive fear, ringed with midnight black, rings that grew with her increased emotion, and her whole body shook.

Basket knew they'd do it before they did, so when one of the medics slipped beside Alphys and quickly injected a sedative into her neck, Basket didn't react. Olceal flinched, and Dandelion was too distraught to see it, but Basket did.

Alphys, the moment she realised she'd been sedated, tried to fight it, still shouting without words and sobbing in between, but her moves grew sluggish and confused. 

For a moment, she looked as if she'd been betrayed - before she suddenly slumped, then dropped like a stone beside Undyne, her eyes closed. Carefully, two medics picked her up and put her onto a stretcher, while four more worked on Undyne.

It was probably the worst birthday Frisk had ever had, and that was saying something.


	2. Chapter 2

Undyne wasn't sure what she expected to happen next, but it wasn't hearing the sound of beeping, accompanied by soft weeping beside her. She felt heavy, weighed down, and couldn't really feel beyond that.

The thought suddenly brought cold, horrific reality back to her, and she could hear the beeping get faster, as well her own breaths get more erratic. She struggled to open her eye, to move her hands or feet, but those were weighted down, too.

 _I'm alive?_ was her first thought. The second was, _Am I paralysed?!_

Then, suddenly, she heard, with such clarity that it went straight to her racing heart, "Undyne?!"

It was Alphys.

She was safe.

The thought brought tears to her eye, though they were small and sparse. She tried to nod, but couldn't.

Suddenly, she felt warmth in one of her hands - soothing, familiar warmth, a living balm that came only from her wife.

And she realised, with that, that she wasn't paralysed - at least, as far as she knew. She concentrated on that warmth, trying to squeeze her wife's hand, and felt her fingers obey, just a little.

She heard a small sob. "Yes," Alphys whispered, her voice choked. "Oh, god, Undyne. You're awake. You're finally awake..."

That scared Undyne. A lot.

"You're in the hospital," Alphys went on, and Undyne listened, her eye still closed, Alphys's voice so soothing to her in that moment. "Y-you were sh-shot in the b-back. Tw-twice. B-but, you-you're okay, Undyne. They both missed your spine."

For the millionth time since knowing her, Undyne once again wondered if Alphys was psychic.

"One h-hit close to you-your right shoulderblade," Alphys went on. Undyne could suddenly feel the soothing sensation of her hand being stroked softly, and she sighed deeply. Alphys paused, then continued, both in actions and words. "The-the other, you-your mid-back, the r-right side. Th-they were aiming for-for Frisk's head and heart."

Chills swept through Undyne at that, the very idea of Frisk being hurt at all, let alone murdered in such a coldblooded way.

"It... was b-bad, Undyne," Alphys murmured, her voice small, now. "You-you were... you were almost..." She sniffled, her grip tightening on Undyne's hand. "But you're awake, now... That's such a good sign. We..." She hesitated. "D-didn't think you would wake up... and... and I've..."

Her voice trailed off, and she succumbed to her tears, leaning her head down and pressing her forehead to Undyne's hand for a moment. Undyne could feel it - even the tears - and again, she felt tears of her own.

Undyne managed to turn her head in the direction of Alphys's voice, and suddenly felt a hand on her cheek, a dear reward. She sighed again, trying to smile, and when she tried to talk again, her voice was too strained and dry to understand.

She felt a straw go to her lips, and she sipped gratefully. The water tasted like heaven to her, and she greedily sucked it back, disappointed once she realised she'd drained it. When it went away, Alphys's hands returned to her cheek and hand, and she found she didn't care about water anymore.

"Alphy," she croaked out. She squinted her eye open slowly, the lights almost too bright in the room, and for a moment, she was disoriented, completely unable to understand what she was seeing.

Until her eye was drawn to a beloved figure, and it cleared for her almost perfectly to reveal her wife.

But she was shocked.

Alphys looked... _exhausted_. Her eyes were puffy and red, and underscored with dark circles. Her face was pale, and her shoulders drooped a little. She wore old, plain clothes, and was weeping, still. She looked like she'd lost weight, too, something Undyne did _not_ like at _all_.

"H-how... long... was... was... coma?" Undyne asked, feeling a whisper of fear. By saying the word aloud, she hoped she was wrong.

But she wasn't.

"Five weeks."

Undyne closed her eye and bit her lip. Five weeks. Five weeks of time she didn't remember, _couldn't_ remember. Wasn't it supposed to be the opposite, that patients retained all they heard, even when comatose?

"Fuck," she whispered, her only real answer to such a thing. Alphys nodded, trying to smile weakly, but it didn't work; it merely brought her to tears again. "Alphy," Undyne added, holding an arm out to her, one that shook.

Alphys stared at it for a moment, then lunged for her, throwing herself atop her and on the hospital cot so hard it moved a bit. She clung onto Undyne tight, sobbing, burying her face into her shoulder and digging her claws into her upper arms, shaking. Undyne lowered her head to hers and closed her eye, putting her non-IVed arm around her wife and holding her as tight as she could. Even then, she brought her IVed hand up to the back of Alphys's head, stroking the skin there slowly, and Alphys made a soft sound, between a sob and a laugh.

"I'm okay," Undyne whispered after a moment, kissing her cheek. "I'm alright."

"Undyne," Alphys answered, her voice choked. "You're so brave, I-I know that, b-but, pl-please...?"

"I had to protect Frisk, Alphy." Undyne said it sharply, as it was true.

Alphys winced. "You-you're not Paladin anymore," she whispered, her voice catching.

"No," Undyne agreed. "But I love Frisk, and know the world needs her. More than it needs me."

"Undyne!" Alphys cried, her head jerking up and her claws digging in harder. She looked scared, and furious.

"It's true," Undyne replied, not bothered by it. She slipped her hand up to Alphys's wet cheek, but Alphys jerked away.

"It's _not_ true!" Alphys snapped. "Undyne, your family needs you!"

"I know," Undyne murmured, wishing she would calm down. "But at that moment, Frisk needed me, and she's part of my family, too."

Alphys opened her mouth, then closed it, going bright red. It was true, and she knew she couldn't refute it. Instead, her eyes filled with more tears, and she lowered her head, weeping once more.

Undyne touched her cheek again, and Alphys grabbed her hand and held it there, her claws digging in.

"No more," she pleaded. "No more, Undyne. I can't do this anymore. I can't... I _can't_..."

Undyne immediately misunderstood her, and felt terror crash into her. "Alphy, no..." she murmured fearfully, her other hand desperately grabbing onto one of hers. "Alphy, please... Alphy, _please?"_

Alphys looked up, surprised by how frightened Undyne sounded - and looked. "Undyne, what's--?"

"Please," Undyne repeated, her own tears falling, now. "Please, Alphy. I swear, I'll do better, I'll do so much better. I'll do my best not to ever let this happen again. Please, please..." Her face crumpled, and she sobbed out, " _Please don't leave me!"_

Alphys grabbed her into another hug the moment the last word left her lips, shaking her head so hard that Undyne felt it.

Undyne clung to her, sobbing and unable to stop, now. It was too much, all of it, all at once: the shock of almost dying, of losing five weeks of her life, of possibly losing her wife, her Alphy, her whole damned pillar of living...

"I would _never_ leave you," Alphys growled out, her own voice choked by her tears. She dug her claws into Undyne's shoulders to emphasise this, and Undyne sobbed harder, shaking from it all. "Never, ever, ever, _ever!"_

"Alphy..." Undyne keened out, and Alphys held her tight, reassuring her over and over that she was never going away - ever.

It was how Dr Tollona found them. She paused, then rushed over, her eyes wide and her mouth open. "Undyne!" she cried. "You're awake!"

Undyne nodded, not pulling away from Alphys, who looked up at the doctor and smiled faintly - though it faded quickly.

"Okay, I'm sorry, but I need to do a vital check and adjust your meds, Undyne," the doctor said gentle, placing a hand on her shoulder. Undyne nodded again and reluctantly pulled away from Alphys, who sat back down in her chair.

As Dr Tollona took Undyne's vitals, Alphys sat back and held her hand gently, feeling it tighten whenever Undyne felt pain. She tried to keep it from her face, but Alphys, after all of this time, knew, and held her hand close.

When the doctor was done, she turned to Alphys. "When did she wake up?"

"Just a few minutes ago," Alphys replied softly.

"Confused?"

"Yes, but lucid once she saw me."

"Hey," Undyne broke in.

"Did she recognise you right away?"

"Yes."

"Uh," Undyne tried again.

"And her heartrate?"

"Increased quite a bit, but calmed once I told her everything."

"I'm right here," Undyne growled, glaring at them both.

That had them blinking at her, and she sighed. Sometimes, being surrounded by doctors was annoying, as was their habit of talking around a patient.

"S-sorry," Alphys said, immediately recognising her faux-pas and squeezing Undyne's hand with a crooked smile.

"You scared us, Captain," Dr Tollona said gently, looking directly at Undyne at last. "We were sure you weren't going to wake up."

Undyne sombred, her face paling. "I... I was really that far gone?" she wondered softly, her grip on Alphys's hand tightening.

"We... we prepared for... the-the w-worst," Alphys whispered, lowering her head. "It was only recently, these-these past couple of days, that you started showing signs of recovery." She paused. "You... you lost too much blood, too fast. It's why you went under. But when you started to breathe on your own again... We had hope, again, too."

Undyne turned to her, her expression softening. "Which was why you were crying when I woke up?" she asked.

Alphys nodded, her eyes downcast. "I... was begging you to wake up," she whispered, her voice breaking. "In-in case you could hear me."

"And you must have," Dr Tollona broke in gently. "Otherwise, you wouldn't be awake."

Undyne looked stunned, and she leaned back, closing her eye for a moment. "And Basket and Dandelion?" she asked, afraid of the answer.

"Basket, Nicky, and Olceal are taking care of Dandy right now," Alphys said. "Dandy's confused and scared - and Basket is a mess, but only in front of Olceal and Nicky and I. In front of Dandy, she's amazing." Alphys smiled faintly. "She's a lot like you that way."

"Can... can I see them?" Undyne wondered, asking both Alphys and the doctor. She wanted to, very much. She wanted to make sure they were okay, and to reassure them that she was, too.

"Yes," Dr Tollona agreed with a smile. "Just as soon as I update your file, give you more meds, and update you on how you are." Her smile faded. "Undyne, have you noticed yourself feeling... weaker?"

Undyne blinked. "Well, yeah, but I figured it came with the injury."

Alphys winced, and she noticed, looking at her. "Alphy?" she asked her, wanting to hear whatever it was from her.

"Undyne... you... When you were comatose, you couldn't eat or drink," Alphys began, her voice tiny and her face still lowered. "I tried to do everything I could, including physio for your arms and legs, but... but..."

Undyne felt a sinking in her stomach. "But?"

"You... still lost a lot of weight... and muscle mass," Alphys concluded, her voice choking up.

Undyne stared at her, then let go of her hand to lift the blanket off of herself and look down at her body - and she felt another sinking, this one so much worse.

She was thin. _Very_ thin. And her arms and legs were, too. While some muscle definition remained, she'd lost a lot. A great deal. She barely recognised her own body. She could see her own ribs if she looked under her gown, and her hip bones jutted out almost rudely. She lowered the gown and blanket and shut her eye, covering her face and shaking with shock.

Undyne had always been proud of her body. Always. She kept it fit and trim for good reason, and in her older age, while she softened in places, she still kept herself as fit as possible.

Now, even that softness was gone. She looked like she had after her first growth spurt, except sicker. She looked starved - and she realised that she was.

She soon felt Alphys touch her arm, and she leaned to the side and grabbed hold of her, shuddering. She wanted to cry, but nothing came out. She was too shocked.

"It's okay," Alphys whispered into her ear, cutting through that shock. "It's okay. You're still beautiful to me, Undyne. Always. And if you want, the moment you're well, we can start working out again, okay? I'll help you as best as I can."

"Alphy..." Undyne whispered into her shoulder, clinging onto her tighter. She loved her so much in that moment, so very much.

"But start slow," Dr Tollona advised gently. "Your muscles have atrophied, and it will take time."

Undyne nodded, still keeping her face hidden in Alphys's shoulder. She felt so beaten, so defeated, that Alphys's embrace was the only thing keeping her strong.

Dr Tollona took this time to adjust Undyne's medications, giving her a new saline bag as well as a new pain medication dose, both of morphine and an anti-nauseant. While Undyne's injuries had mostly healed, the pain of being awake in a damaged body was something she felt keenly - and hadn't realised she was until she felt it stop. She relaxed in Alphys's arms, and Alphys kissed her forehead and stroked her hair slowly, keeping her close.

"We didn't think you'd be _this_ awake when you woke up," Alphys admitted gently, and Undyne listened, her eye closed, the sound of her wife's voice so soothing. "It's not normal, you being awake like this and able to move and talk like you are."

Undyne laughed dryly. "DT?"

Alphys nodded. "DT. We didn't give you any, but since it's already in your blood, that's what it must be." She paused, and Undyne heard her take a shaky breath. "I-I'm glad you're not normal," she admitted softly.

Undyne laughed again, this time for real, and the sound made Alphys smile and close her eyes. She'd been so sure she'd never hear that sound ever again.

"Well," Dr Tollona said, smiling faintly. "I think we'll keep you here in the ICU for now, until you've recovered a bit more and can start drinking things besides water. For now, though, I think it's safe if you want to sleep."

Undyne raised her head a little, blinking slowly. The thought hadn't even occurred to her until just then, and now that it had, she realised she wanted to, very much. The pain medication was strong, and she felt both dizzy and tired.

"Will... will I wake up again?" she asked fearfully.

"Yes," Alphys agreed. "And I'll be right here when you do."

Undyne stared up at her, and her eye again filled with tears. "Alphy..." she whispered, her nails digging into Alphys's back. She wanted to say so much: how much she loved her, how much she meant to her, how sorry she was and how sad she was for scaring her...

But Alphys smiled at her kindly, and she realised she didn't have to. She burst into tears and clung to Alphys, then, the sounds broken and high-pitched but uncontrollable.

Dr Tollona looked at Alphys, who met her gaze. "I'll come back in an hour for another status check. Are you fine staying with her?"

"Always," Alphys agreed, meaning it.

Dr Tollona smiled at her, gave Undyne's shoulder a gentle squeeze, and left.

Alphys held Undyne close as she sobbed, rocking her gently and whispering softly to her, about how proud of her she was, how strong she knew she was, and how everything would soon be okay. Each time, Undyne nodded.

Soon, though, her tears calmed, and when they were spent, so was Undyne. She drifted off quickly after that, so quickly that Alphys hadn't realised until she looked down at her.

Undyne's face was thinner, now, the bones more pronounced, her cheeks thin, too. She looked older than she was, still rough around the edges, as if on the brink of collapse.

But she was not. Not anymore. Alphys gently laid her back down onto the cot, tucking her in, then adjusted her IVs and made sure they weren't tangled or caught on anything.

Then, she took her phone out, and with eyes full of happy tears, she texted their family with the good news.


	3. Chapter 3

Papyrus had been waiting for ages to see Undyne. Despite how close they were, he unfortunately was not considered family, and hadn't been able to. Therefore, a few days later, when Alphys texted him and told him he could, he was there within the half-hour, holding a huge bouquet of flowers and a stuffed blue dog.

Undyne, who was awake by then in order to try eating, started laughing the moment she saw him - then started to weep when he hugged her tight. She could feel him trembling, and knew this was a huge shock for him. (And for the entire visit, she held the blue dog to her chest.)

But despite the fact that Undyne looked anything but the warrior he'd always known, he didn't mention anything about it. Instead, he sat next to her, held her hand, and just chatted with her - exactly what she needed.

While Alphys went to Basket's to check on her, Dandelion, Nicky, and Olceal, Papyrus spent time with Undyne, and it was time well spent.

"What happened, exactly?" she asked him, her spoon mixing up the mush they'd given her. She knew she had to eat it, but it looked so gross.

"WELL," he sighed, his expression turning serious. "YOU WERE SHOT, AND SANS CAUGHT THE SHOOTER." He deliberately left out the part about Alphys, as he didn't want to upset her.

"Who were they, and what the hell was their problem?" Undyne wondered, finally gathering the courage to try a spoonful of mush. It actually wasn't that bad, but she decided that that was probably because she was starving.

Papyrus glowered suddenly, and she blinked, surprised. "LEFTOVERS FROM A BAD REGIME," he answered shortly.

Undyne bit her lip at that. She knew exactly what that meant, and it made her sick. "I can't believe there are still assholes following that prick's stupid ways." Despite the fact that Carlson had been gone for years, clearly he'd left ripples behind.

Then, she asked, "Is Frisk okay?" She hadn't seen Frisk yet, as her visitors' list had just opened that hour.

Papyrus nodded, and she relaxed. "SHAKEN UP AND FEELING GUILTY, BUT UNHARMED."

"Thank fuck for that," Undyne sighed between mouthfuls. She winced, then lowered her spoon and touched her IV, pressing a small button there. From the tree hanging above her head, a small IV bag started dripping, and she relaxed when it hit, feeling better immediately.

Papyrus hesitated, clearly wanting to say something, but not really wanting to in case it upset her.

She noticed and nodded. "Go ahead. I'm all drugged up, now." She smiled. "I can take it."

Papyrus looked right into her eye and said, "UNDYNE, YOU..." He hesitated, then lowered his gaze. "I UNDERSTAND DUTY, AND LOVE, A GREAT DEAL. BUT YOU, UNDYNE, HAVE A FAMILY--,"

"Whom I protected that day," she broke in shortly, her eye narrowed.

"YOU NEED TO THINK OF YOURSELF, UNDYNE. FRISK JUST LOST... SHE JUST LOST..."

Undyne lowered her spoon, a wave of grief flowing through her, and her eye filled with tears. He meant Asgore and Toriel. They'd passed away three months ago, a mere week apart, and it had broken Frisk's heart. The party was supposed to help with that, was supposed to remind her that she was still living, and living for both of them, now, too.

Instead, it had turned into a bloodbath that had almost taken another family member away from her.

 _Now_ Undyne understood.

"IF SHE'D LOST YOU, UNDYNE..." Papyrus looked uncomfortable. "SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY, _VERY_ BROKEN."

The very idea horrified Undyne, and she lost her appetite, shoving the tray to the side. She covered her face with both hands for a moment, trying not to cry, but she failed.

The fact was, she'd stepped in because of that. She didn't want any more of the Dreemurrs to die. She didn't want their family to succumb to even more agony. Frisk would have died if she had done nothing, and that was unacceptable to her - especially now.

Undyne then had a thought, and she heard it in Asgore's voice:

 _You are good, you are brave, and you are strong. But you forget that you are all of these things when you are_ alive _, dear daughter. Your sister needs you more than ever, now._

Undyne then realised something so simple it was humiliating: she could have just pushed Frisk down or away, and both of them would have been unhurt.

"Fuck," she whispered, before she burst into tears. Papyrus was immediately holding her, stroking her hair and reminding her that it all worked out despite the odds, and that they were still both safe, regardless.

But Undyne knew it had been mere luck that she'd survived.

And she suddenly knew she could depend on that luck no longer.

* * *

Frisk came later in the day with Asriel and Nicky (who only now was allowed to see Undyne, despite her relationship with Basket), just as Undyne was finishing up a sponge bath from Alphys. They waited outside the curtains until she was dressed back in her hospital gown, but the moment they could, all three grabbed her and hugged her tight.

"Ehhh...!" she groaned, though she was grinning and blushing. To her horror, all three were crying, and she looked at Alphys for help - only to find her wife weeping, too. She bit her lip and held the three closer, giving them each kisses and a few tears in her eye as a result.

"Undyne," Frisk whispered, still clinging to her when her husband and daughter had pulled away. She buried her face into her shoulder, trembling with her tears. "Undyne, thank god you're awake, oh, thank the universe and _everything_..."

Undyne was shocked. Frisk was babbling, and that was so unlike her that Undyne was speechless. Undyne held her as close as possible, rubbing her back, and soon she came to understand: Frisk was still shellshocked from the loss of her parents, and that was made even worse with the almost-loss of Undyne.

"Oh, Frisk," Undyne murmured, closing her eye. Beside her, Alphys placed her hand on Frisk's back. "Frisk, I'm okay."

"You saved my life," Frisk stammered, her voice choked. "Without so much as a blink, Undyne. Thank you, _thank you,_ you have no idea..."

Undyne looked up at Asriel and Nicky, who nodded at the same time, sharing the identical look of sombre sympathy. She blinked, and Asriel said, very softly, "Nightmares."

Undyne closed her eye and cuddled Frisk closer, kissing her cheek and stroking her salt and pepper hair gently.

Asriel and Nicky sat down beside Alphys - after hugs - and Alphys smiled at them. "How are you?" she asked.

"Way better, now," Asriel said, and Nicky nodded. Both he and his daughter shared a look of sadness, their eyes dark and underscored with shadows. Nicky had been biting her claws, and her hair was loose and unkempt - unusual for her, as her hair was her one vanity.

Alphys knew that Basket and Olceal were doing their best to help her, but she was still upset; for the same reasons as Frisk was, yes, but also for her new place in Undyne and Alphys's family. She spent most of her time at New Solace, now, true, but she also made time with her parents in New Solace Home.

Frisk finally pulled away, her face red and tear-stained, but she stayed sitting on the bed, holding Undyne's hand between her own tight.

"How long will you be stuck here, Auntie Undyne?" Nicky wondered.

Undyne made a face. "I don't know. The past few days have been good, but they don't know yet. My gunshot wounds are almost healed, but my body is still pretty weak and chewed up, and I still need a lot of physio before I can go. They think maybe another week or two."

"Gross," Asriel replied, smiling. "But I'd rather that than the alternative."

Frisk bit her lip and nodded, lowering her head so that her hair hid her face.

"Hey, c'mon," Undyne said, smiling back. "I'm okay. I'm awake. I'm sure as hell am not gonna let this keep me down. Don't mope, okay?"

"We're _not_ moping," Asriel answered, pulling a face.

"We are a little," Nicky corrected.

"Basket's letting you mope?" Undyne teased, and Nicky blushed, looking away; that, alone, was an answer in itself.

Alphys was quiet, her face serious and her eyes on her wife. She listened to them all banter, and let every word soak into her soul, so relieve that she was hearing it, no matter how inane it was. She looked away, averting her face in the ruse that she was looking out the window, as she knew she was close to tears.

For five weeks, she'd waited for this. Those weeks had seemed like decades, every day a year, as she helped Undyne every moment, practically moving in with her in her hospital room - save that one week, when she'd had no choice but to stay away. For every moment of silence, Alphys had felt a stab to her heart, needle-thin, but constantly adding up, to the point that she actually felt an ache in her chest. Now that her wife was finally awake, that pain had eased - but still remained.

"I-I'm..." she broke in, still looking away. "I'm going to g-get some c-coffee."

She stood up and quickly left, her head lowered and her hands to her chest, before anyone could even respond.

Then, Undyne murmured, _"Fuck,"_ and leaned back, closing her eye.

Frisk squeezed her hand. "It's okay," she said gently. "She'll be okay."

Undyne opened her eye. "How... how bad was it for her? For her and the girls?"

Frisk and Asriel exchanged looks, and Nickname bit her lip, looking down.

"Bad," Nicky finally admitted, when her parents remained silent.

In her tone, Undyne could hear that she was holding a great deal back, and she narrowed her eye. _"How_ bad? Explain."

Nicky winced but didn't answer, her throat too closed up to do so, now. She'd had a vision while staying with her parents, of Alphys drowning in blood, and had immediately called Basket and screamed at her to get to Alphys, right away. She'd been on the phone with her for quite some time, until Basket suddenly hung up. She didn't hear from her until she caught up with her at the hospital, and it was to see Basket sitting in a chair, covered in blood and pale, trembling with deep shock, while Olceal tried to get her to come back...

Asriel therefore said, "Really bad, Undyne. Alphys... Alphys was distraught. Especially when they told her it was likely you'd never wake up, or die."

"They said that to her?!" Undyne snarled, her eye flashing with fury.

All three nodded, and Nicky shivered. But they didn't say anything else, which suddenly had Undyne feeling deep fear.

"Tell me," she demanded.

"No," Frisk said sternly, looking up. "It's not our place to tell. All you need to know from us is that they're okay, now, Undyne."

"Frisk--!"

 _"No,"_ Frisk repeated, shaking her head. "No."

Undyne bit her lip, looking away, her hands clenched in anger, but she didn't press it.

They filled the rest of their visit with small talk and catching up, pleasant conversation that masked the bitterness of before.

When Alphys returned with her coffee, however, Undyne said, "I think I'm tired, now. Can I be alone?"

The Dreemurrs nodded and stood up, giving her hugs and kisses goodbye, all of which she returned, and they promised to visit tomorrow.

Alphys got up to leave, too, but Undyne grabbed her hand and dragged her back down in her chair, shocking her.

When they were alone, Alphys said, "Are you alright? Do you need sleep? I-I can ask--,"

"What happened, Alphy?" Undyne broke in sharply. "What happened to you, to the girls, when I was under?"

Alphys immediately paled, her eyes going wide. Undyne felt her hand tremble within her own, and didn't like it.

"Wh-what...? Who...? Wh-what do you mean?" Alphys asked.

Undyne eyed her closely, before she suddenly took hold of Alphys's left arm, pulling it to her. Alphys winced and tried to pull it back, but Undyne persisted, and she managed to pull the sleeve up just before Alphys pulled away, revealing a thick white bandage around her wrist.

"Alphy," she whispered, her eye wide.

Alphys looked down, pulling her sleeve back into place with shaky fingers. "It-it's nothing, d-don't worry about-about it."

"Alphy..." Undyne repeated, reaching out to touch her hand.

Before she could even ask, Dr Tollona came in to check on her, and the subject was dropped - especially when Undyne was advised to sleep, and was given medication for it.

But Undyne, before she fell asleep, kept that in her mind, and vowed to get the answers the moment she could.


	4. Chapter 4

Undyne ended up finding out from Basket.

Alphys had gone to get some food and rest, and therefore, Undyne was able to be alone with her eldest.

"Bassy, why does your mum have bandages on her wrists?"

Basket went pale, and suddenly she was glad that Dandelion and Olceal were getting them food. "M-Mom," she stammered, her hands clenched together in her lap. "I-I don't think... w-with your recovery--,"

"Cut the bullshit, Basket," Undyne snapped. She'd tried unsuccessfully to get Alphys to tell her for days, and was fed up. "Tell me what happened, now, or leave."

Basket glared at her. "You don't have to be _rude,"_ she answered, which oddly made Undyne want to smile; it was the kind of thing Alphys would say. "I just don't think you should hear it from _me."_

"Alphy won't tell me," Undyne explained. "And I tried, Bassy. For days."

Basket sighed, lowering her gaze. "I figured. Okay." She closed her eyes. "I'm just gonna get it all out, okay?" When Undyne didn't protest, Basket told her, quickly and softly.

"It was a week after you got sh-shot. You weren't making any progress, and your wounds weren't healing as fast as they should have been. The doctors told us that it was a bad sign, and that it meant... it meant you... w-would... d-die within the week."

Undyne stared at her, feeling cold all of a sudden.

"Mummy... she-she took it well, at first. She was crying, but she didn't break down. Olly and I were staying with her to help with Dandy, and that night... that n-night..." Basket covered her face. "She shut herself up in the shower... and c-cut her wr-wrists."

Undyne shuddered, crying, now, but barely even realising it. "How... how did... how did you save her?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Basket shrugged. "I got a b-bad feeling, and then Nicky called me, telling me - screaming at me - to get to Mum. I didn't ask why, I just did it." She sobbed, then, just once, and kept her face averted. "I found-found her... she was... f-falling... d-down..." 

Another sob, and Undyne placed her hand atop her head, stroking her spiky hair gently. "She was almost... g-gone, Mommy... She'd written a note, too... It said... it-it said... that she was sorry, but-but, she c-couldn't... l-live without you... she-she tr-trusted Olly, Nicky, and me with D-Dandy...and would r-rather be d-dead with you, th-than alive without... without... y-you, M-Mommy..."

She choked, then burst into tears, lowering her head and sobbing. Undyne sat up and pulled her into a hug, whispering to her that it was okay, and that she was safe, and so was Alphys. Basket clung to her, unable to speak, her mind filled with images of that night.

Undyne's heart was breaking. The horror of that was, on its own, wrenching.

But the fact that Basket had had to pull Alphys free, to try and save her...

That was truly terrifying.

"I'm sorry, Bassy," Undyne whispered, meaning it with her entire soul.

"Dandy didn't see," Basket went on, her voice a strained whisper.. "As soon as I answered the call, I told Olly to take her to either New Solace or New Solace Home... He took her to New Solace Home, with Nicky... I-I then called the ambulance, wrapped up her wrists with-with towels, and they saved her. She was here, too, for a few days."

Basket sobbed again, shuddering. "She wasn't herself for a while, but she soon came back. She... she even th-thanked me... af-after apol-apologising..."

Undyne kissed her forehead. "I thank you, too, Peridot."

Basket nodded, but then started sobbing again, unable to speak. Undyne held her close and cried, too, barely able to believe what she was hearing.

But she knew her wife. And she'd seen her wrist, the pain and panic in her eyes, the grief in her face...

She knew it was true.

When Olceal and Dandelion came back, both Undyne and Basket were calm, though they both showed clear evidence that they'd been crying. Olceal went to Basket and kissed her face gently, while Dandelion crawled up into Undyne's bed and curled up against her tight.

"M-Mommy," Dandelion murmured.

"Yes, Lioness?" Undyne replied, stroking her long hair slowly.

"Don't... don't be stupid anymore... okay?"

For whatever reason, this made Undyne laugh, and she leaned down and kissed Dandelion all over her face, in turn making her giggle and try to get away.

Both Olceal and Basket smiled at this, and for the rest of the visit, things went smoothly.

* * *

That night, however, when Alphys returned, Undyne pulled her into the bed with her and held her close. Alphys didn't fight it; she'd missed Undyne too much to even want to, regardless of the fact that they still needed to get Undyne ready for bed.

"Alphy," Undyne murmured, her eye closed. "Bassy told me what happened to you."

Alphys immediately stiffened, her eyes wide with panic, and she looked up. Undyne gazed at her sadly, her eye wet with tears, and Alphys suddenly jerked away, struggling to get to her feet.

"No! _No,_ Alphy!" Undyne snapped. She used all of the strength she had to keep her in place, and Alphys was too afraid that she would hurt herself to persist, so she gave up and stayed where she was. She trembled, though, and started crying, too, and she refused to look at Undyne.

"I-I didn't..." Alphys tried, her voice tiny. "I n- _never_ wanted y-you to kn-know..."

"Clearly," Undyne agreed - gently, now. "But I'm glad I do, because we need to talk about it."

"Undyne," Alphys pleaded, "n-not now. Not tonight. Please. L-let's just get you to bed and-and--,"

"Do you really think I can sleep, knowing what happened?!" Undyne suddenly snarled. "That you tried to kill yourself, with our children in the house, while I was here, soon to wake up?! That you gave up on them, because of me?! That you gave up on me?!"

"Undyne, please, _please_..." Alphys was trembling, curling up into a ball and cowering with shame. "Please stop..."

"No!" Undyne answered, her voice breaking. "Alphy, how _could_ you?! _How could you?!_ Bassy and Dandy need their mum! _Especially_ if they'd lost me! Don't you care about that at _all?!"_

Alphys suddenly keened out, then, a sound that shocked Undyne. It was a broken sound, one so strangely primal and soaked in raw emotion, that it startled her, the sound striking her right in her heart. She looked down at Alphys, and saw only the back of her head, her face buried in her knees and tail. Her hands were at her chest, and her claws were digging in - something she hadn't done in many, many years.

It scared Undyne.

She leaned down and gently took hold of Alphys, uncurling her to pull her close against herself, pulling her hands away from her chest as she did. Alphys hesitated at first, before she suddenly reached up and clung to her tight, so tight it hurt, and she made that sound again, her whole body reacting along with it. She couldn't speak, could barely breathe, and all she could do was sob.

She couldn't explain it. That night, she remembered through a haze of grief. She remembered it as though she'd been sleepwalking, so detached from everything except that agony, and she let it rule. All she could think about was how empty her life would be without Undyne, and she selfishly assumed that their daughters would be better off without her.

She didn't even think about how painful it could have been for her girls to be orphaned that way. Or worse, their losing her, only to have Undyne wake up and find her dead, and over nothing.

All she had thought about, then, was herself, and that she couldn't do anything without her wife at her side.

But she knew it, now. She'd known it when she'd woken up in the hospital, and seen it in Basket's eyes.

Basket, who'd rescued her, who'd been forced to see her that way, broken and bloody and falling down...

She'd done irreversible harm. And she knew it.

"Oh god," she whispered, once again trying to run away, but Undyne held her close, and she again gave up.

"No, it's gonna be okay," Undyne said softly, meaning it. She didn't know how, but she knew it would - with time.

"Listen, Alphy..." She hesitated, then moved close and took hold of Alphys's face, raising it up so that they could look at each other. Alphys closed her eyes, but Undyne kissed her nose gently, and they opened again.

"Basket..." Alphys suddenly blurted out, before Undyne could continue. "She... h- _hates_ me... I... I'm such... I'm..."

"Shh," Undyne interrupted, kissing her forehead and rubbing her back. "No, she doesn't, not at all. Sweetie, she's happy you're alive, that she found you and could save you! She doesn't hate you, not even close!"

"I _-I_ hate me!" Alphys cried. "You... _you_ can hate me, too..."

"Never," Undyne replied. "I just... Alphy, I actually kinda get it. We _both_ fucked up."

Alphys looked up, confused. "Huh?"

Undyne sighed. "I could have just pushed Frisk down," she admitted. "It didn't have to come to this. We _both_ fucked up."

Alphys shook her head, burying her face back into Undyne's shoulder, and after that, they didn't speak. There was no room for it, not then. All there was room for were tears - and healing.

* * *

That night, they let Alphys stay in Undyne's room. Before, she'd go home right at closing hours, and be back the moment they opened again. But that night, seeing the grief and pain on both of their faces, the staff let Alphys stay, and even brought in an extra cot for her, pushing it against Undyne's so that they could be close.

Alphys curled up against Undyne, right under her arm and into her side, her arm around her waist and her other hand at her chest. Undyne held her as close as she could, feeling very comforted that Alphys was there, too. The nights ended up being long and lonely in the hospital, so to have company - the best company she could ever have, in Undyne's opinion - was wonderful.

"Undyne," Alphys whispered, already half-asleep. Undyne nodded, kissing her forehead, more than halfway to sleep, herself. "I'm... I- _I'm so sorry_..."

"Me, too," Undyne admitted.

"I-I love you."

Undyne smiled and kissed her lips gently. "I love you, too," she replied.

Alphys sighed deeply, snuggling closer, and soon, they both fell asleep - the first real sleep they'd both had in months.


	5. Chapter 5

Recovery was difficult, and that was putting it mildly.

Undyne had had no idea exactly what the extent of the recovery would be, but she knew it involved physiotherapy and her eating habits.

Alphys was blunt with her on the morning of her first real physio session, before they even met the therapist.

"It's going to suck, Undyne," she said, holding her wife's hand between her own. "A lot."

Undyne bit her lip. She knew it was going to be difficult; that was obvious enough when she'd tried to start using the washroom on her own. She'd had to hold onto Alphys for most of it, her other hand on her wheeled IV tree, shaking like a fall leaf and sweating from how hard it was. By the time she was done and back in bed, she was begging for a catheter and bedpan, again. (They'd said no, of course.) After that, they used a walker.

"They're going to work you hard, and it's going to hurt," Alphys continued, her eyes dark. She'd seen it in her years of working for the hospital.

She knew her wife was strong, but then, she'd also been the one to help her to the washroom, each time, and had seen her pain in doing just that - even with the walker.

Then, her expression and tone softened, and she looked up at Undyne. "But, Undyne... It's worth it. It'll be so worth it. And I know you're strong enough."

Undyne wasn't so sure, and it showed. "Will... will you be there?" she asked softly, her voice wavering a little.

"Yes," she agreed. "I..." She blushed with shame, looking away. "I've had to be here every day, regardless, for a while... because of..." She held up one of her hands, and Undyne nodded, squeezing her hand. Alphys was going through therapy of her own. "But I'll be there, beside you," she promised, looking up again. "Always, Undyne."

Undyne hugged her, then, unable to speak.

Regardless, Alphys understood.

* * *

Undyne was in tears.

They ran down her face unchecked, merging with streaks of sweat, and she gasped for every breath. Her whole body trembled, and she felt like she'd been put in a blender.

But all she'd done was take five steps forward.

Her muscles were weak, so weak that she practically had to learn to walk again. She hadn't anticipated that at all. It so was so much worse than just walking to the washroom, and even with the metal bar on one side holding her up, still she stumbled and shook.

 _"Fuck!_ Oh god, oh god, _oh, fuck this!!"_ she sobbed between her teeth, lowering her head and gasping. Her goal - her _only_ goal - was ten steps one way, then ten steps the other way, before she could take a break and go back to stretching and floor exercises - something she yearned for, now. This was the worst part, the one that took the longest, and was by far the hardest.

"I've got you, sweetie," Alphys reminded her softly, and Undyne closed her eye, nodding, her wife's voice soothing her. "Take your time."

Undyne opened her eye, raising her head and snarling softly, and took two more steps forward, before she stopped again and gasped for breath again. She didn't even have the energy to curse, now.

"Three more steps, Miss Undyne," the therapist added kindly. "Then a break, and then ten after that. The first ten are always the hardest."

"Keep going, love," Alphys murmured, kissing her wet cheek and brushing the hair from her eye. "You can do this."

"No," Undyne suddenly spat out, her voice choked. "No, I can't. _I can't!_ It's too hard, Alphy! It's _too fucking hard!"_

Alphys looked up at the therapist - a human named Jimmy, or was it James? Undyne had already forgotten - and flicked her eyes to the side. He nodded and stepped away to give them privacy. Alphys then moved closer and took hold of Undyne, and Undyne collapsed against her, making her stumble a little.

 _"I can't do this!"_ Undyne sobbed, furious with herself. She thought she'd be stronger than _this_ , able to laugh at such a simple task. It was just _walking_ , after all.

But it wasn't _just_ walking, but was _painful_ walking. Her muscles screamed at her, shaking and seizing from the sudden demand, and it was fraying her mental strength, too.

"Yes, you can, my love," Alphys whispered into her ear, stroking her sweaty hair slowly. "You can do this. You _can."_

"No," Undyne answered, shaking her head. "I can't. I'll just use a fucking wheelchair for the rest of my stupid, pathetic life! I don't fucking care!"

Alphys sighed, closing her eyes. "Yes, you do," she corrected.

"Yeah, I do!" Undyne cried.

They'd had to use a wheelchair a few times already, and had even used one to get here. It humiliated Undyne; she already felt like a weakling, but she also felt like a thief, like she was stealing the chair from someone who really needed it, not once thinking that she did, too, and that it was alright. She always saw herself as strong; to be forced to accept weakness was humiliating.

"Okay, that's good, sweetie," Alphys replied calmly, rubbing her cheeks free of tears, one at a time. Undyne stared at her, searching her face and letting it calm her down. "If you care, then you care enough to keep trying."

Undyne closed her eye for a moment, leaning into Alphys's touch, and she felt Alphys kiss her forehead gently, soothing her further.

"Three more steps," Alphys then whispered. "Then we can take a small break, and do it again. Okay?"

Something seemed to ignite in Undyne then. She raised her head, her eye snapping open and glinting, and she gritted her teeth, her hand tightening on the support bar.

 _I will get through this,_ she thought. _I_ have _to._

_For Frisk, for my daughters..._

_For my wife..._

_My Alphy..._

She looked up at Alphys, then, who nodded and smiled with such kindness that it made Undyne tear up a little - but from tenderness, not frustration. She turned, glared at the wall, and started walking, again.

"One," she growled, and Alphys nodded, as Undyne took a shaking step forward.

Slowly, with a grunt, she swung her other foot forward, hissing out, "Two."

The last step, she took with a slight lunge, shouting out, "Three! _Fuck you!"_ before leaning onto Alphys and gasping for breath, shaking even harder.

Alphys hugged her tight, kissing her face and smiling. "I'm so proud of you," she whispered. "Take a break, now, before we do it again. You've earned it, Undyne. I'm so proud of you..."

Those words, that simple phrase, made it all worth it.

* * *

"Bassy?"

Basket didn't stir. She was curled up in a small ball in the middle of the bed she shared with Olceal, her back to the door. Olceal, himself, was with Dandelion in the living room, playing video games with her. If she listened, she could hear them laughing from far away, though inside, she felt empty.

Nickname hesitated, her heart aching at the sight. She understood her wife's agony, and understood why she was hiding from them, but Nicky didn't want her to be alone, anymore.

Slowly, she walked over to the bed, then sat down on it, reaching down and touching Basket's spiky red hair gently.

Basket closed her eyes. She'd been crying for hours, tormented by both the shooting and the suicide attempt, and she'd finally run out of energy and control over her emotions. She had to get away, lest Dandelion see her like that.

But now, feeling Nicky's hand in her hair, stroking it awkwardly but with real love and affection, she felt torn apart, sanded raw and left in a pile of salt.

"Bass?" Nicky murmured, leaning down and touching her hip with her other hand. "Would you like a cuddle?"

"Y-yes," she rasped out right away. "Pl-please?"

Nicky immediately laid down behind her and pulled her right against herself, wrapping her arms around her plump waist and kissing the back of her head, inhaling her scent and closing her eyes.

Basket moved back against her, reaching up and grabbing onto her arm hard. She whimpered a few times between her tears, unable to keep them back, especially now, in Nicky's arms.

"Bassy, wanna talk about it?" Nicky murmured against the top of her head.

"I..." Basket murmured, nodding. "Nicky... it's about... Mummy... I... still have nightmares... almost every single night..." She shuddered, and Nicky rubbed her arms slowly, trying to warm her. "I... I-I... almost be-became an _orphan_... because of _one_ _asshole_ _with a gun!"_

Her voice broke and ended in a sob. Nicky closed her eyes, feeling tears of her own. She knew, and remembered both days vividly - especially the day Alphys locked herself in the bathroom.

"Nicky..." Basket sobbed, curling up into a ball, again, covering her face with her hands. "If you h-hadn't... if you _hadn't_...!"

"But I did," she interjected softly. "I _did_. And Alphys is still here - and so is Undyne."

"Oh god," Basket answered, her words muffled by her own hands. "Oh god, Nicky..."

"Come here," Nicky answered, tugging on her gently. Basket turned around and grabbed onto her, burying her face into her chest, her arms and legs hooking around Nicky, her tail limp. She sobbed hard, suddenly unable to stop, the pain of everything just too much...

"I-I'm so happy you-you're here," Basket choked out - the last thing she managed to say for quite some time.

Nicky held her close and nodded, rubbing her back slowly. "Me, too," she agreed. "Me, too."

* * *

"You're cheating!" Dandelion accused, throwing the controller at Olceal and crossing her arms over her chest, scowling.

Olceal grinned; he recognised that from Basket. "No, I'm just not letting you win," he replied.

Dandelion frowned. "Let me win," she sulked.

Olceal laughed, unable to hold it back, and Dandelion looked up at him, a small smile coming to life.

When he was calm, Dandelion peered up at him. "Olly," she said carefully, "when is Mommy coming home?"

He immediately sombred. "We're not sure yet," he admitted gently. "She's still doing her exercises, so that she can get well enough to come home, but we're not sure how long it'll take."

Dandelion lowered her head, her hair covering her face. "Oh," she murmured, sniffling.

Olceal leaned over and put an arm around her, and she curled up into his side.

"But," he added, "your mommy is tough. She'll come home sooner than you know it."

"She... she won't disappear... like Grandpa and Grandma?"

Olceal closed his eyes. "No," he said firmly, shaking his head. "She won't. Not for a _long_ time. Okay?"

Dandelion nodded, but she was no longer interested in playing, anymore. Instead, she sniffled, again, taking comfort in her older brother's embrace.

The funny thing was, Olceal felt the exact same way. He loved Dandelion like he would a real sister, and never wanted her to feel hurt or sad. He knew that she understood more than, he was certain, her mothers liked, and he thus refused to treat her otherwise.

It was something Dandelion cherished in him, something that Basket also did, too, and she decided that, if she couldn't be home, yet, this was the second-best thing - something that would last for the rest of her life.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: sans is an asshole in this chapter e_e.

Undyne was about to fall asleep, curled up and freshly washed in Alphys's arms, when sans suddenly walked into her room.

It was a shock. After Toriel died, he practically vanished, keeping mostly to himself, his brother, or to whatever he did when not with the aforementioned. Frisk's birthday was the first time he'd been in public since her death. Therefore, to see him suddenly show up - especially now, when they hadn't seen him since the shooting - was quite surprising.

"sans?" Alphys blinked at him in surprise, her hand freezing in Undyne's hair. Undyne stirred, struggling to wake back up, frowning and looking more confused than Alphys sounded.

He said nothing, his eyes on Alphys, their light dim. When he was standing in front of her, his hand went up - and moved to strike her.

Alphys reacted on instinct, her hand shooting up and grabbing his wrist, stopping him in mid-air. He glared at her, his arm shaking, clearly trying to break free to hit her, but she gritted her teeth and held fast, her eyes glinting with purple briefly. 

"What the fuck?!" Undyne cried, completely awake, now. She sat up quickly, then winced, feeling dizzy and weak almost immediately. 

_"you damned bitch,"_ he snarled, his other hand jerking up. Alphys grabbed it, too, and for a moment, they both struggled, both enraged at each other. The longer it went on, the dimmer his eyes went. 

"sans!" Undyne cried, lunging forward and stumbling towards them, her hands closing over both of theirs. "Alphy! What the hell?!"

"You're so pissed off," Alphys growled between her teeth, "and yet you waited almost two months to do or say a damned thing."

"you wanna die so bad?" he answered. "i'll kill you right here, right now."

"Try it, you bastard."

_"No!"_ Undyne snapped, and immediately, two spears glimmered to life, one hovering over sans's head, the other over Alphys's. Her hands trembled on theirs, and she struggled to prise them apart. "Fucking _stop it,_ or I'll make you both eat spear!"

For a moment, they both ignored her, barely able to feel her cold, thin hands upon theirs. It was only when Undyne murmured, "Alphy, please?" that they both looked over at her - Alphys's expression turning to shame, while sans merely looked furious, still.

Then, Alphys relaxed her grip, and when sans moved to let go as well, she released his hands. When she was sure he wasn't going to hit her, she moved back to Undyne, and the spears vanished.

Undyne, however, reached forward and pushed sans as hard as she could by his shoulders. She stumbled forward with a growl, weakly collapsing onto her bed on her front, but despite that, sans still staggered back a few steps, mostly surprised. 

"Leave," she said softly, her voice terse. 

"no," he answered, staying out of range of both of them, his hands returning to his pockets. 

"You called my wife a bitch," she replied, her eye blazing and narrowed. She propped herself back onto her hands, and Alphys helped her carefully.

"because she is one," he replied calmly. 

"Alphy, call security," Undyne said, looking up at her. She then froze; Alphys's expression had fallen, and she looked away, her face draining of blood in shame. 

"N-no," she murmured, her hands tangling in her lap, lowering her head. "S-say what you w-want to say, sans."

"No," Undyne interjected. "Get the fuck out, sans."

Alphys touched her hand gently, and their eyes met. Undyne searched Alphys's, and saw deep shame and even worse regret haunting her wife's eyes, and she was immediately speechless. 

"Go ahead," Alphys whispered, looking back down and pulling her hands away.

"you tried to kill yourself," he said at once, his voice low and harsh. His eyes were almost completely out, now. "while your children were there. and because of your selfishness, basket had to pull you free, prevent you from drowning in your own blood, while nickname had to see it all and be powerless, while olceal had to protect dandelion from seeing any of it."

Alphys bit her lip, her hands shaking. "Yes," she agreed, her voice tiny.

Undyne went pale, her gut clenching, as though encased in stone. She couldn't speak; suddenly, all she could see was exactly what sans was saying, and her eye filled with tears. 

"you selfish bitch," he concluded. 

Alphys shut her eyes. "Yes."

"Alphy, wait, no," Undyne suddenly broke in. "sans, no. It's not... it's so easy to say that, but even I know how complicated it was, and I wasn't even there! They told her I was gonna die," she said to sans, now. "They told her that. She panicked. I probably would have done something just as stupid, or even worse!"

"no," sans corrected calmly. "because you know how horrible it is to be orphaned."

Both flinched. "So does Alphy," Undyne returned weakly, her hand grabbing onto one of her wife's. 

"but you know it twice, now, and i know you'd never do that to your kids." sans glared at Alphys, whose head went lower and lower. "alphys didn't hesitate. she's a bitch, and a horrible mother."

Alphys covered her face at that, trembling. As if to make his point even more clear, her sleeves lowered from her wrists, revealing the bandages that still covered them. She wanted desperately to run away, to sob, to disappear... _Anything,_ if it meant escaping this judgement.

Because it was absolutely true. She couldn't refute it. She was a horrible person, and an even worse mother, for what she'd done to her children.

Undyne stared at her, seeing her naked shame and self-hatred, her heart cracking within her breast. She knew what Alphys was thinking - and she didn't agree. Not at all.

"sans," she said, her voice soft - but stern. Her eye went to his, flicking between them, and he met her gaze without flinching. "Fuck off."

_Now_ he flinched, looking away. But she wasn't done.

"You're not Judge anymore. Don't you _dare_ cast judgement on my wife." She felt her hands shaking, and she clenched them, grabbing hold of her knees. She was tired, sore, and feeling weak, and now she had fury to add to that cocktail of misery. "You don't have the right. You never have. So kindly fuck off."

But he surprised her. The moment she said the word 'Judge', his eyes narrowed. "oh?" he wondered idly. "so you get to remain the paladin, while i lose my power as judge?"

That hurt, and she bit her lip, her eye stinging. "Fuck you," she growled, trying so hard to blink back her tears, but she was simply too tired to fight them. 

"St-stop," Alphys suddenly said, raising her head, her eyes glinting again with that purple that was both unsettling and beautiful. "B-both of you, stop it."

Silence fell between the three, then, though sans and Undyne still glared at each other.

Then, when she could, Alphys said, "You-you're both right, and you're both wrong." She looked at Undyne, her expression sad. "I-I... In that moment, Undyne... I-I truly was a bad mother." Her eyes filled with tears when she said it, but she knew it was the truth. There was no point in denying her selfishness, her narrow-mindedness, her pure neglect. "You-you're right, sans."

When she heard Undyne start to protest, she cut her off, keeping her gaze steady. "But... Undyne... you're right, too. Neither of you are Guardians anymore. You haven't been for a long time. So-so..." She bit her lip, hesitating, before she blurted it out. "If _you_ don't get to act as Paladin, then sans doesn't get to act as Judge. And that's where you both are wrong. You shouldn't of thrown your life away, but..." And she turned her glance back to sans. "You don't get to judge either of us."

Another silence fell. Alphys lowered her gaze, ashamed, still, her whole body trembling, while her wife and her friend stared at her, stunned speechless.

"I-I..." Alphys suddenly said, her voice breaking. She rose to her feet, refusing to look at either of them. "I-I n-need..." She opened her mouth to lie, then shut it. "I need to leave," she finished weakly. 

Undyne protested, reaching for her, but she moved too quickly for her. She managed to get as far as the doorway before sans grabbed her hand and stopped her.

"Pl-please," she whispered, looking away. She tugged on her hand, but then, to her shock, sans became mean. His hand slipped down and closed around her wrist, his fingers digging in hard, and she yelped, staggering from the sharp pain. Desperately, she tugged on it, her other hand clawing at his arm, and they both heard Undyne snarl and try to get to her feet, but he wouldn't let go. 

His eyes went out, and Alphys stared, fear and pain keeping her rooted there. They both felt her wrist start to bleed, but neither moved.

"Let her go!" Undyne shouted. When he made no move to do so, she panicked; she reached up and pressed the call button frantically, loathing her weakness, desperate to make this stop.

"You can't run from this," Sans said, then. "You shouldn't. Running is what caused this to happen in the first place." And his fingers dug in harder. Alphys's vision clouded with pain, then, and she dropped to her knees, resuming her desperate attempts to break free. 

Finally, at that moment, three nurses came running in. They saw both Sans and Alphys, and when Undyne shouted, "Get him out of here! He's hurting her! Get him out of here!!" they moved to do just that.

Alphys, however, raised her other hand weakly. "N-n-no," she gasped out. She raised her head, and her eyes suddenly blazed bright. She grabbed his wrist, her hand suddenly flaring with her power, and she let her electricity loose - right into his body. He grunted, staggering back and letting go, and this time, it was him that was on his knees, holding his hand to him, gasping for breath. She fell back, doing the same, and for a moment, no one moved - not even the nurses. 

Then, Sans said, "There we go."

Alphys's head jerked up, and he was already staring at her with that empty stare - but he was grinning. 

It was then that the staff suddenly came to life, and two of them lunged forward, grabbing Sans and yanking him to his feet. He staggered, clearly weakened by Alphys's attack, but he didn't fight them, and his grin didn't waver - not even once.

Alphys stared after him. When she felt the third nurse take hold of her bleeding wrist, she barely noticed. It was only when they told her, gently, that she needed to be stitched up again, that she looked up, surprised. When she looked at her wrist, now bare, she saw that it was true: her stitches - every last one of them - had been severed, and she was bleeding quite heavily. No wonder it hurt so much. No wonder she felt dizzy, already.

Undyne cried out, then, moving to get to her feet, but the nurse sharply told her to stay, or she'd be restrained. Undyne hesitated, clearly wanting to be with Alphys, but then, Alphys asked if she could be stitched up in here. When there were no objections, Undyne finally relaxed, and they called in the surgeon to do that. 

Alphys sat next to Undyne's bed, her wrist placed on a small side table, as the surgeon grumbled and cleaned it, then stitched it again. It hurt like hell, but Alphys merely closed her eyes, and when Undyne offered her a hand, she took it, gripping hard. 

After that, some time was - in Alphys's opinion - wasted on whether or not she wanted to charge Sans for attacking her, something she merely snorted and denied at once. Undyne protested, but Alphys held firm, and she let it go. They gave Alphys some painkillers, then brought in a lounge chair for her to use once they kicked in, so that she could rest while still with Undyne.

Once alone, Undyne pulled Alphys from the chair to her bed, clinging to her, and finally, Alphys came back completely. 

"I'm gonna kill him," Undyne sobbed into her shoulder, her weakened body wracked with pain and exhaustion, now, her voice just as weak. "I'm gonna fucking murder him, Alphy!"

"No," Alphys murmured, holding her a little gingerly, so that she didn't jar her wrist. "He... he was right."

"No!" Undyne cried. "No! You're not a bad mother! You're not!"

"I was," Alphys corrected softly. "I was ready to just... abandon them, Undyne..." Her eyes closed for a moment, feeling the painkillers start to kick in. "Because I was... I was running away, again... without a fight."

Undyne was quiet, her eye wide with shock. 

It was true. 

"But," she then snarled, "he didn't have to...!"

"M-maybe he did," Alphys conceded, smiling weakly. "I listened, didn't I? I stopped. I stayed. And... and.. I-I fought back..."

Undyne couldn't take it anymore at that; she broke down, dissolving into sobs. Alphys held her close, but discreetly pressed the call button. When a nurse came, she asked for something to help Undyne sleep, and when Undyne didn't protest, they gave it to her. 

"D-don't leave," Undyne whispered, before she went under. "Please."

"I won't," Alphys promised. 

When she fell asleep, Alphys gently tucked her back in, then staggered over to the chair, curling up into a tight ball, before she, too, fell asleep, her mind full of regret - but also resolution. 

And, most of all, determination.


	7. Chapter 7

Late into the night, Alphys woke up, feeling groggy and confused, until her eyes focused. She looked over at Undyne and found her still sleeping heavily, and she smiled, comforted by that. Her wrist throbbed, but it was okay; it was more annoying than anything else, and it was easy to ignore.

She got up slowly and went to get something to eat and drink, her moves sluggish from the medication that was still in her system. When she came back, Undyne was still asleep, and she sat back down, watching her for a moment, allowing the sight of her slumber to soothe her. 

Then, she grabbed her phone and opened a file, one she hadn't looked at ever since inheriting it: the Gaster file. 

She liked to pretend that her negligence was due to being focused on the school, then on her children, then on this - anything but the actual reason: fear. 

The file terrified her. She was terrified of what was within it.

Once, when she was still new to her post as the Royal Scientist, she'd asked him: "What happened to my predecessor? Did they leave anything behind, any information I can use?"

Asgore's eyes glinted, and back then, she hadn't recognised it like she would years later: the sign that he was about to lie. "I don't know, I know only rumours. His name was Gaster, and he fell into the Core, after one of his experiments went awry. He left some files behind, and they should still be in the Lab for you. But personal things, memorandums and the like, seemed to have perished with him."

She'd accepted it without question, as she felt that her new boss had no reason to lie to her. She'd never asked again, even when she'd found evidence of the work he'd left behind.

Therefore, when he'd confessed, in his will, that he'd lied to her, and actually had kept the file for himself, she was shocked - even moreso when he'd left it to her, as she'd expected him to perhaps give it to sans. She accepted it, downloaded it to her phone and computer - then promptly pushed it from her mind, even when sans asked her, once.

Now, funnily enough, it was sans's violence against her that had reminded her of that file, and that she should probably peruse it. It was likely to hold answers that had always escaped her, answers that could be useful for her classes. 

But also, she thought now, her fingers shaking as she opened it, it could help her fill in the blanks when it came to Determination. 

She'd never found a cure for the amalgamates. She'd never been able to, though she'd tried her hardest. Any result that she got from her research was a failure in that regard, but one she could apply for the future serum that would later save her life. 

And over the years, when they'd started to pass away, with every death, she felt crippling guilt. Because with every death, it was a reminder of how badly she'd failed them. 

Now, only Endogeny remained, and even that was a shock to her; she hadn't expected any of them to live this long, let alone Endogeny. 

Well, Endogeny... and three others...

She closed her eyes, took a breath, then opened them - and started to read.

* * *

When Undyne woke up, hours later and in the morning, Alphys was sitting in the chair, her hands covering her mouth. Her phone was in her lap, and her eyes were wide and unfocused. When Undyne glanced over at her, the expression scared her, and she sat up quickly, reaching over and touching her arm. The gesture startled her so much that she jumped and yelped, and Undyne dropped back with a cry of her own.

"U-Undyne!" Alphys then squeaked out, getting to her feet and hugging her tight. Undyne returned it immediately, closing her eye - and it was then that she noticed that Alphys was shaking. "D-did you get enough sleep?"

Undyne frowned and pulled back a little, searching her gaze closely and cupping her face in her hands. "Alphy," she murmured softly. "What's wrong?"

Alphys bit her lip, her eyes widening for a moment in surprise, before she closed them, and she smiled wryly. "You-you always know."

"Yup," Undyne agreed, kissing the tip of her nose. "Spill."

"I-I will," she agreed. "B-but let's get you looked after, first."

Undyne sighed, but nodded. She was hungry and sore, and knew she needed to get to physio, soon. 

But she didn't forget. She refused to - even when Alphys secretly hoped she would.

* * *

“Basket?”

She looked up, blinking in confusion. She was in the living room, still wearing her clothes from the day before, and her glasses were still askew on her face. She raised her head and noticed that someone had put a blanket over her, and she frowned.

When she looked up again, Olceal was walking into the room, looking worried. She smiled, her default reaction whenever she saw him, and the worry in his face eased, especially when he knelt down in front of the couch and she sat up, touching his fuzzy face gently.

“What's up?” she wondered, rubbing his cheek, and he leaned into it, closing his eyes. “Is everything alright?”

He nodded. “I just wanted to see if you were awake, yet.”

“Yep,” she agreed. “But, why am I here? When did I even fall asleep? Where are Nicky and Dandy?”

Olceal stood up and sat down next to her, hugging her gently. “In Dandy's room, making puzzles,” he said. “You fell asleep in the middle of the movie, and none of us could wake you up enough to get to bed.”

Basket blushed. “Oh, shit, I'm sorry. It's just... it's been a really shitty few weeks, Olly...”

“I know,” he agreed. “I got a call from Alphys; she says we can come visit later, but she said...” He frowned, and Basket felt a tinge of concern. “She said not to worry about what we would see, when it came to her.”

Basket went rigid with fear. “D-did she... try again?”

“I don't think so,” he admitted. “I kinda asked, and she told me no.” He paused. “I don't think she'd lie to me, especially after what we've all been through together.”

“O-okay,” Basket whispered, resting her head on his shoulder. “When?” 

“She said in the afternoon, after your mom's physio.” He stroked her hair gently, and she closed her eyes. “You up for it?”

“Always,” she admitted. “I want them both to be safe, and I want to watch it happen.”

Olceal smiled. “Fair enough, but you can't go looking like that, Bassy. You're a mess.”

She laughed, surprising them both, but it felt good. “Tell me how you really feel, Olly!” she added, kissing his nose. “I'll go shower, then. Do you mind making breakfast?”

“Lunch,” he corrected. “You've been asleep all morning.”

She blushed deeper and scratched her cheek. “Sorry. Has Dandy been a nightmare?”

“Nah, not with Nicky,” he replied, smiling and blushing a little. “Dandy... she really loves Nicky, and calls her sis all the time, just like she does with you. She's gotten used to our triad, I think.”

Basket smiled warmly. “Good.” She then peered up at him. “Have... have you?”

Olceal laughed. “Bassy, I was used to it the moment we brought Nicky home that one night.”

For some reason, this struck Basket hard, and she clung to him, bursting into tears. Olceal bit his lip but held her close, kissing her forehead and stroking her hair again.

It was true, what he'd said; the moment he'd seen Nickname look at his wife with wide, full eyes, her face full of naked, raw emotion, he knew – and welcomed it. If anything, looking back, now, he wondered if he'd always expected it to happen, ever since Olceal had asked Basket out, and she'd admitted she still loved Nicky – but also was falling for him, too. 

And now that it had, he realised that he loved Nicky, too: as a dear friend, a best friend, yes, but also a true love and a wonderful lover. He'd been able to see what Basket loved about her almost immediately, and found it easy to love her for those reasons, too. 

He was happy. He was so happy. Because they, all three of them, were finally together. And it was the kind of together that was forged in the strongest of steel. 

And nothing would change that, now – which made Olceal even happier.

* * *

“Spill.”

Alphys looked up, surprised. Undyne had said the single word tightly, through her teeth, and just as she had pushed herself into a sit up, Alphys holding her shaking legs together and to the floor. When their eyes met, Undyne's glinted, and Alphys sighed.

“W-well,” Alphys began, once Undyne resumed her sit-ups. “You remember how As-Asgore left me the Gaster file...?”

“Mm,” Undyne grunted in agreement. “You were... pretty flustered about... that...”

“Y-yeah,” Alphys agreed. “And... I had reason to be.”

At the tone of her voice, Undyne sat up and stopped. “Alphy, what did it say?”

Alphys bit her lip, lowering her gaze. “He... he knew about determination. And... he used it on himself. A-a lot, Undyne.” She shuddered. “His last notes were... terrifying...”

Undyne covered her hands with her own, and Alphys looked up. “What did it say?” she repeated.

“He-he used so much of it that... Th-that he started to... melt... His last notes explained how it felt, how it could possibly be reversed, and if he couldn't do it, he... he would...” 

“Fall into the Core,” Undyne finished, her eye wide. Of course she knew the story of Gaster's fate. By now, everyone did. “Oh, shit, Alphy...”

“Th-that's not the worst of it, Undyne,” Alphys murmured. “He r-really thought there could be a cure. He tested it on himself to try and reverse it, or make it liveable, without the body decaying...” She closed her eyes. “He left instructions, Undyne. And they're nothing I thought of.”

“But he failed, Alphy,” Undyne said, shaking her head. “So even if it were different, it failed.”

Alphys winced. “We-we don't know that. We don't know if his fall was an accident or not. And... and...” Her eyes opened and glinted with purple. “Undyne, I want to try it. I want to try it on Endogeny. They're the only one left. The least I can do is try to save them...”

“But what if it kills them, instead?” Undyne asked softly, fear shivering through her. 

Alphys nodded. “Y-yeah. I know. Which was why I was upset when you woke up.” She then blinked. “Undyne, keep going.”

Undyne scowled but did so with a sigh. “Are... you gonna ask... them?” she wondered between each sit-up.

“Y-yes,” Alphys admitted. “B-but only when I'm sure it won't... it won't kill them.”

Undyne frowned, wanting to ask how she would figure that out without test subjects, but it was then that her therapist interrupted and directed her to the bar, and she immediately forgot.

She would regret forgetting, for as long as she lived, even when it worked out.


	8. Chapter 8

Without fail, Alphys was always at Undyne's side, all throughout her physiotherapy, her tests, even her baths. Undyne had started to take it for granted when, one day, Alphys took her hand and said, “I need to spend a few days away from you for a while.”

Undyne stared at her, shocked – especially when she felt Alphys's fingers tremble a little. But her gaze was steady, and her eyes shone bright.

“No,” Undyne snapped the moment she got it, causing Alphys to jump in surprise. “No. You're going to work on that cure, aren't you?”

Alphys blinked, nodding. “Of course, Undyne. But why are you...? What's wrong?”

Undyne bit her lip, her eye searching Alphys's desperately. The truth was, she didn't know what was wrong. She knew that Alphys had wanted to start working on it as soon as possible. And she knew that her own health had improved enough to not need Alphys as much during the day.

But... there was something in Alphys's eyes, something that she didn’t like, but she couldn't comprehend it, no matter how hard she tried – and she thought she knew all of Alphys's expressions by now.

“I... I have a bad feeling,” she blurted out, her grip tightening on Alphys's hands. “I'm scared. I’m scared of this.”

Alphys was genuinely confused. All she wanted to do was see if she could examine some of the amalgamate samples left over in the True Lab, to re-inject them, and then try the cure that Gaster had mapped out for himself. That way, only tissue samples would be affected, and no one would get hurt.

“What if I told you exactly what I plan to do?” Alphys offered gently, rubbing her hand in return. When Undyne nodded, Alphys explained everything, not leaving anything out.

But then Undyne remembered what Alphys had told her about Gaster. “So, then you're not gonna do what he did?” she asked. “You're not gonna test it on yourself?”

Alphys shook her head right away, the very idea horrifying her. “No! Never, Undyne! That's what the tissue samples are for! I promise, Undyne.”

Undyne knew she was being honest; she could see it, and realised that she really did know all of Alphys's expressions, after all. She nodded, then leaned forward and kissed her lips, holding her face in her hands.

Alphys smiled and returned it, her heart warming with love. She was so proud of Undyne, so proud of how far she'd come, despite the odds and how difficult it had been. The woman she kissed now was still thin, but starting to gain weight and muscle back, her strength also returning with each day. And with every success, Undyne, herself, grew happier, relieved, and eager to get better - and come home, at last.

Alphys wanted the exact same things. She'd worked with Undyne for months, now, yes – but she'd also worked hard on herself, too. Her mind was calm, her heart healing, and she wanted to be home with Undyne, too – and be worthy enough for Undyne to come home to.

Undyne knew this, but for some reason, she still didn't want Alphys to work on the cure. The timing was right; Alphys had access to resources and students to help her if she needed them, and she'd admitted that she was scared that Endogeny would die, soon, without her help, as winters were very hard on them. That was the reason why she was so eager to start.

Undyne knew this. She knew it so well...

So why did the very thought of that cure terrify her?

She always trusted her intuition, always; the first time she did, she'd knocked Asgore down. Since then, it had never proven her wrong.

But when she pulled away and gazed at Alphys, all she saw was optimism and love.

“Okay,” Undyne said softly. “Come here whenever you can, and don't test anything seriously alone, okay?”

Alphys nodded, smiling. “That's one of the best things about being Headmistress: the students flock to help you for better grades!” She laughed, and Undyne smiled faintly, holding Alphys's face closer.

“Tell me _everything,”_ Undyne then asked. “Every step, every success, every centimetre you get closer to finding that cure. Okay?”

Alphys blinked. “Undyne, I'm still going to visit you, every day!” she said. “You're acting like I'm taking a long absence from you, and I won't, not unless you’re already home and safe!”

Undyne nodded, feeling silly, now. It was true. She was acting like Alphys was going to war, and she now felt stupid. “Yeah,” Undyne agreed, smiling weakly. “Yeah, of course.”

Alphys kissed her again in reply, something she returned with interest, and for now, for now... it was enough for Undyne.

* * *

But as time progressed, Alphys's visits actually started to slow down, and Undyne grew worried.

“Don't worry,” Alphys told her over the phone, the third day in a row, now, that she'd missed. “I'm okay, I'm just really onto something, Undyne!”

She sounded elated, excited, and Undyne bit her lip; was she being stupid, again, feeling fear that wasn't even warranted?

But soon, Alphys missed an entire week – and barely spoke to her over the phone, instead leaving hastily typed text messages or distracted voice mails.

When she asked Basket, hoping she'd know, Basket shook her head. “She doesn't tell me anything, Mom,” she admitted. “All she tells me is that she's getting closer, but she just needs to keep working. She's missed supper four times this week.”

Undyne stared at her, frightened, now. “How does she look when she comes home, Basket?”

Basket frowned. “Tired, mostly, but her eyes are always hopeful. She once came home upset – I think that was two days ago – but calmed down when Dandy hugged her.” She paused, looking bothered, now. “But the moment she thought she was alone, Mummy looked... torn, almost? Conflicted?”

Undyne shook her head. “Keep an eye on her,” she pleaded, her eye darting between Basket's. “Watch her. Make notes. Tell me everything, Bassy, please?”

Basket nodded. “Sure, but why, Mommy? She's probably just really tired. If something was wrong, she'd tell you!”

Undyne nodded, mostly to placate Basket, but inside, her nerves were fraying, her mind screaming at her to find Alphys, to bring her back to the hospital, to never let her out of her sight...

They changed the subject, but inside, Undyne was barely able to hide her growing terror.

She had to do something, and fast, before she lost Alphys – and without even realising it, too.

* * *

Two weeks after her conversation with Basket, Undyne – and, in turn, the rest of her family – got the happiest shock possible: the green light to go home.

Undyne stared at Dr Tollona with tears running down her cheeks. She was so relieved, so grateful – but she also wished desperately that Alphys had been here to hear it, too.

Basket, however, was, and she hugged her mom tight, laughing happily. “Thank fuck!” she sobbed out, her voice breaking. It was that break in her daughter's voice that helped her focus, again, and she smiled, too, holding Basket close.

As Dr Tollona went over the discharge process, as well as walked Undyne through instructions on further care and medication use, Undyne's mind wandered, and she felt a sudden whisper of fear.

She suddenly interrupted, “Does Alphy know?” she demanded. “Did you tell Alphy?”

Dr Tollona nodded with a smile. “I called her as soon as I got the all-clear. She said she was thrilled, and promised to meet you here as soon as you were ready to go.”

Undyne closed her eye, relief flooding through her. She nodded. “Call her back, tell her to come now?” she asked, her voice oddly small. “Please? Right now?”

“Of course,” Dr Tollona agreed with a smile. “I'll come back once she's on her way.”

When she left, Undyne leaned back and closed her eyes, biting her lip.

“Mom,” she heard Basket say softly, “You’re really scared for Mum, aren't you? Are you scared she'll burn herself out?”

Undyne hesitated, unsure. Was that it? Was she afraid that Alphys would work herself too hard?

But even though she knew that it was a good reason, it wasn't the right one. She nodded, for Basket's sake, but knew it wasn't completely true.

All she knew for sure was that she needed to see her wife, and now.

* * *

When Alphys arrived, Undyne was dressed and waiting for her. She ran right into the room and went right to Undyne, throwing her arms around her and hugging onto her tight.

It was exactly the reaction that Undyne had needed, had yearned for, and she fell into Alphys's arms, holding her back as closely as possible.

“Undyne,” she heard Alphys whisper into her ear. “I'm so sorry. I'm here, now. Let's get out of here, and have a wonderful night at home, a nice welcome-back party, and finally leave this nightmare behind us.”

Undyne smiled, burying her face into Alphys's shoulder, closing her eye with deep relief. “Yes,” she whispered. “Anything, as long as it's with you, Alphy.”

Alphys kissed her, and she felt her heart calm down, at last.

But it was hubris.

* * *

The entire night was perfect.

Undyne sat on her couch, sandwiched between her daughters, her wife curled up in her lap, her daughters in turn bookended by Nickname and Olceal.

They watched all of Undyne's favourite movies, even the bloody, gory ones, and ate all of her favourite foods. They spoiled her rotten, treating her as though she were still an invalid and never allowing her to do a thing for herself - despite the fact that she was probably in the best shape she'd even been in, despite the coma.

She certainly felt strong, the strongest. She felt loved, invincible, and - at last - safe.

When it was time for bed, both Alphys and Undyne were too tired to make love - despite both really wanting to - but that was okay. They held each other tight, sharing contented smiles and exchanging many kisses, and decided that they'd save it for the next morning, both agreeing that it would be a perfect new start to Undyne's healed life.

At last.

 _Indeed_...


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW at the start of this chapter, but it ends with a page break, so it's easy to skip if you wish :).
> 
> Uh... be patient. I swear, I'm writing as fast as I can.
> 
> Just read over those tags again, okay? 
> 
> *smiles weakly* Sorry!

When she woke up that morning, Alphys knew. Somehow, deep down inside of her, she knew what was going to happen to her that day. She knew, because the longer she'd worked and the closer she got, she also grew closer to the inevitable result. And it was a result that was inescapable, the only option she had left to make it work.

But she knew: though she had to try, she would not let it kill her. She _would_ try, with every cell within her, to make it work. But she would make sure that, no matter what, she'd survive it – even if it meant failing, anyway.

Because she'd promised Undyne she wouldn’t die. And she fully intended to keep that promise.

So, when Undyne woke up slowly and turned to her, a slow, wide smile growing upon her beautiful face, Alphys went to her, holding that face between her hands, returning that smile with all that she was.

“Alphy...” Undyne whispered, pulling her close, her hands slipping beneath Alphys's nightgown. It had been months - _months,_ now – since they'd been able to make love. Granted, as she got better, Undyne would steal desperate moments – moments Alphys would then steal back – but hand jobs, heated groping, and hot mouths were barely enough, anymore. Now, finally at home, safe and healthy at last, all Undyne wanted was to make love – not get off, but make love – with Alphys.

Alphys felt the same, to the point of desperation, now. She clung to Undyne, burying her face into her neck and kissing along that curve close, moaning softly. Undyne tilted her head back and closed her eye, that simple gesture igniting her entire body. Her hands cupped around Alphys's breasts, her thumbs flicking over already hard nipples, and Alphys moaned again – the purest, sweetest music to Undyne's ears.

“Alphy,” she breathed out again, grabbing hold of her wife's nightgown and pulling it off of her, before she buried her hand between Alphys's legs and beneath her underwear. Alphys purred, pushing closer, moving against Undyne's hand, as those long, delightful fingers stroked slick, hot skin. She slipped her own hand down and did the same for Undyne, and Undyne growled, her voice breaking with need.

“Please...?” she whispered, her hand moving faster, the other pulling Alphys's underwear down and off. Alphys nodded, inhaling sharply from the increased pace, and moved her head up and kissed Undyne hard, unable to hold herself back, anymore. Undyne groaned, her eye rolling up, and her whole body arched against Alphys's, feeling too hot for her own skin.

“Do you want me to...? Are you too ti-tired...?” Alphys murmured, her voice strained with her own need, but Undyne shook her head right away, moving instead to roll Alphys onto her back, moving atop her right away – so quickly that Alphys moaned, arching up against her, this time, the feel of Undyne against her almost too much, like torture...

Undyne then pushed Alphys's legs apart, sitting up between them and shifting, her hand going down between them to make sure that their flesh touched. Alphys gasped the moment that happened, her hands scrabbling up and grabbing hold of Undyne's shoulders, trying to pull her down closer.

But suddenly, Undyne paused, taking hold of Alphys's hands and holding them up. Alphys opened her eyes, freezing in place – especially when Undyne brought her arm up and brushed her lips slowly along the scar on the inside of Alphys's wrist. The scars were still tender, thus they were still visible, but they were healing – a comforting sight.

Alphys bit her lip, especially when Undyne kissed her other wrist in the same way. Then, Undyne opened her eye and pulled Alphys's arms around her neck, before she lowered down, held Alphys's face in her hands, and started to move her hips against Alphys's.

“Undyne...” Alphys breathed out, her eyes closing – and she smiled, so brightly that Undyne felt it strike her deep. She felt Alphys's fingers slip down her arms, then to her sides, gently tracing her gills, and Undyne gasped, leaning down and kissing Alphys again, harder, this time, crying out softly against that beautiful smile. Alphys returned it, her legs wrapping around Undyne's waist tighter – and her tail hooked around her shin.

Undyne surprised them both, then: she sobbed, right in the middle of that kiss, and her eye filled with tears. Alphys pulled away, concerned, and Undyne sobbed again, burying her face into Alphys's shoulder.

She couldn't help it. She just couldn't. The feel of this, of this lovemaking, of Alphys beneath her, holding her, touching her so sweetly and exactly how she needed to be touched, to be _loved_... It made her weep. She'd missed her wife so much – every single part of her – and could barely believe they were finally home.

Alphys kissed her cheek, stroking her hair slowly with one hand, the other still at her side. “It's okay,” she whispered, her voice making Undyne shiver. “You're safe. You're home. I'm here...”

Undyne lowered down to her elbows, so that her body was flat against Alphys's, and she gritted her teeth, choking back another sob. She reached up and held Alphys's face again, staring down at her, and Alphys stared back, her eyes bright with love. At that, Undyne started moving faster, suddenly desperate to make Alphys come, needing her to feel wonderful, as wonderful as she made Undyne feel, just by looking at her like that...

Alphys's eyes glazed over, before they fluttered closed, meeting Undyne's pace immediately, her own breaths catching. Undyne watched her, still weeping, but not enough to stop watching her. She could tell, the moment Alphys's eyes closed, that she was already close to coming, and Undyne felt it deep in her blood. When Alphys cried out, her hands going up and getting tangled in Undyne's hair, Undyne shifted and moved faster, a cry of her own escaping her – especially when Alphys gasped and arched her back, her hips pushing up against Undyne's and sending a jolt right through her.

“Undyne...!” Alphys then growled out, her claws grazing Undyne's scalp a little in her urgency. She moved insistently, now, her body hot and already sweaty and red, a little clumsy with her need. Undyne held her closer, tilting her head back and closing her eye tight, the very shift bringing a new flood of pleasure into her own body, now.

“Kiss me...!” Alphys suddenly pleaded, her voice breaking, her hands now holding Undyne's face. Undyne immediately did, slipping her tongue between Alphys's lips and meeting hers, and Alphys growled in pure satisfaction, her breaths hitching as she felt herself get closer and closer...

And then, finally, with a strangled cry, she was finally there, and she clung to Undyne tight, writhing against her and pleading out her name against her lips, her body and mind knowing only Undyne, all of Undyne, and that pleasure she gave so wonderfully and freely. She sobbed when she managed to catch her breath, especially when Undyne shifted again to make it last, and her next word was simply Undyne's name, wavering with both love and pleasure, overcome and loving it...

But then, Undyne surprised them both. She growled, even as she moved to make Alphys's orgasm last, and felt her own creep up on her. By the time Alphys was calming down, Undyne, herself, was taken over, and she shouted Alphys's name, the sound high-pitched and strained – but also full of that pleasure. Alphys pulled her down and kissed her again, moving her own body this time to make Undyne's pleasure linger, and Undyne keened out against that kiss, her hands digging so hard into the bed that she would – once again – leave holes in the sheets and puncture part of the mattress.

They didn't care. Not even close. All that mattered was their small, pleasure-filled nest, one they made purely of themselves. They clung to each other tight, even when those waves of pleasure had died down to mere echoes, and cried, unable to help it. They cried from pure happiness, pure relief, and it was the best feeling in the world.

* * *

It was a feeling that Alphys kept close to her heart, hours later, when she went back Underground – and back into the True Lab.

Undyne was staying home, still on medical leave, and Alphys parted from her with deep hesitation, one Undyne felt just as deeply. But she knew that this was the day, and the sooner she did it, the sooner it would be over with.

She had everything planned out perfectly, so perfectly that she was very proud of herself, really. Everything was set up in a way that left very little room for failure, which was good, because she knew: she only had one shot, and this was it.

She was the only one who could do this. She knew it. So she made sure that she would survive it.

She prepped the empty vial, attaching it to the side of the DT extraction machine, and hooked it up, making sure it was secured and lined up. Carefully, she'd written upon it, “Endogeny's Cure.”

She then went to the metal gurney, her hands shaking a little, looking up at the machine's fearsome visage for a moment. She set up the IV, hooking it up to a full bag of glowing, grey-blue DT, and she set the needle attached to it aside for now.

Then, she grabbed a small remote control, fitted with two buttons: the switch for DT extraction, and the switch for activating the IV. She tested it, and when both worked, she smiled, breathing slowly and shakily.

Five times. It would take five times for the machine to shock out enough DT to match the amount that Endogeny had been injected with. She knew she was pushing it, that it was dangerous, but that was why she had the IV of new DT waiting: the moment she felt it was too much, she'd activate it, and it would start to replace the amount she lost.

Five times. It would hurt. She knew that. But she had to stay awake each time, to make sure they worked, and to activate the IV once it was finished. As she laid down on the cold metal, carefully inserting the IV's needle into a vein in her hand and flushing the vein open, she trembled, still scared.

She wanted this to work. But she also wanted to survive it.

She rested her IVed hand upon her stomach, then grabbed hold of the remote tight, making sure she could push down both buttons easily and quickly.

She took a breath, shut her eyes tight, and gritted her teeth. Then, she moved her thumb, and pushed down the extraction button.

Immediately, several bolts of electricity fired into her body, and she gasped with both surprise and pain. As a monster proficient in electric magic, she knew she could handle a great deal more than anyone else, and indeed, it helped her. But she hadn’t realised how badly it would hurt. That had surprised her.

But it was working, she saw: the vial was filling up, with a strange, almost pinkish substance – the combination of her own yellow magic, and the purple DT she'd been given – and she knew she had to keep going until it was full.

So she did. Three more times, she shocked herself, pausing each time in between to try and collect herself, the pauses longer each time. By the end of the fourth, she was trembling, feeling weak and nauseated, and she knew she was almost at her limit – especially since, with each shock, the pain increased, too.

Alphys's eyes glinted bright, her hands shaking, but she smiled, even through her gritted teeth. Because she knew it was almost done – and in turn, she was almost successful.

So, with a resigned growl, she closed her eyes and pressed the button one last time.

That growl suddenly turned into a shocked shriek, and her eyes snapped open. It _hurt,_ more than the previous four times combined, and with that pain, she felt it: the drain on her lifeforce, exactly what she'd feared.

She was almost done... It was almost full, but...

_No... I'm sorry, Endogeny... I can't... I can't die...!_

With a cry of pain, her fingers fumbled, trying to turn off the electricity, as well as hit the button to start the IV. She scrambled for it desperately, her vision starting to cloud over, and with everything she had, she tried. She tried so hard to press at least one of those buttons.

_No!_

_NO, DAMN YOU!_

_I WON'T DIE!_

_I PROMISED!! I... PROMISED...!!_

_No...!! Undyne...! Forgive me...!! Undyne...!!_

But in her desperation, her hand suddenly seized up, and she dropped the remote. She tried to catch it, a weak scream escaping her, one of both pain and frustration, but it slipped out of reach and fell to the ground beneath her – where it broke.

The fifth round went through completely. With it, the vial with Endogeny's name was filled to the top.

She'd done it. The cure was real. It had worked.

But only silence met this result, a heavy, dark silence.

Alphys did not wake up again.


	10. Chapter 10

For the fifth time, Undyne looked at her phone, and found no notifications. It was almost a half-hour past the time Alphys said she'd be done, and in that time, Undyne had heard nothing.

Alphys was always punctual, especially when it came to things this serious. It wasn't like her to just be silent.

With every glance, Undyne felt more and more dread fill her. She was scared, now. Alphys hadn't told her what the experiment involved – just that it was tricky and a little dangerous, but nothing Alphys couldn't handle.

But now, Undyne wondered if Alphys had been wrong, and it had been too much – and something bad had happened, specifically to Alphys, herself.

Undyne was alone in her room; Dandelion was over at Basket's, as Undyne had wanted to spend the evening alone with Alphys, again. She wanted to start making up for so much time lost between them...

It wasn't like Alphys to be late. It wasn't like Alphys to simply not call, or text.

Undyne bit her lip, coming to a decision with that thought. She got up, pocketed her phone, and went to grab her coat and boots, her hands shaking a little; she couldn't help but feel scared.

The moment her hand closed over the handle of the front door, it suddenly jerked open and out of her hand, causing her to stumble back in shock.

Sans was holding the other side, his eyes black and his face grim. The moment their eyes met, Undyne's filled with tears. She shook her head before he even said a word, even jerking back and trying to move away, but he followed her.

“Undyne,” he said sharply, reaching out and grabbing her wrist. “I need you with me. I don't know all of it, but if she tried what _he_ tried...” His left eye flickered. “Come on.”

Undyne shut her eye tight, but slipped her hand into his and held on. The moment he had a firm hold, she felt her whole body lurch, and she kept her eye shut. She refused to look. She didn't want to know, didn't want to see, and luckily, she didn't have to.

The moment she felt solid ground beneath her feet, though, her eye snapped open, and she pulled her hand free, starting to run the moment she could. She knew where to go, and so did Sans, who followed her closely behind.

Then, when she rounded the corner and her eye fell on what was before her, it was though her mind tried to protect her from what she was seeing. Her vision blurred, and truly for a moment, she was protected; she didn't understand what she was seeing.

But Sans did. Immediately. He knew exactly what he was seeing, and he cursed, both profanities as well as curses on Gaster, himself. He ran forward, going right to Alphys's side and placing a hand over her chest, over her heart.

She was pale and cold by now, and didn't move when Sans touched her – not even a flicker of her eyes. Her hand, the one fitted with the IV, had slipped to her side, and the other, now empty, was limply hanging over the side of the gurney.

There, he saw the broken remote, and he knew that he'd been wrong in his initial judgement of her, made even truer when he realised what her IV was hooked up to. And with that, he felt hope rekindle within him.

It was then, though, that Undyne screamed out Alphys's name, falling to the floor and cowering upon it. To her, all she could see was what her eye was showing her, and to her, it was obvious.

Alphys was dead, and for the exact reason that Undyne had feared: that damned cure. She didn't care if it succeeded or not. She didn't want to know.

Because now, nothing mattered to her.

But then, Sans snapped out, “Shut up, Undyne!”

The words sparked within her, and she screamed again, this time a guttural sound of pure fury. She threw herself to her feet and moved to attack him, but he held his left hand out and stopped her, right in mid-lunge. She stared at him in both shock and pain, feeling him hold onto her soul so hard that she trembled, but she cried out again, especially when her eye fell back on Alphys – and that cry rose to another scream.

“Shit,” Sans growled, wincing. He kept his hand up, keeping Undyne as still as possible, before he leaned down and pressed his earhole right against Alphys's chest, his other hand going up to her throat. He wished Undyne would shut up, because he needed to be able to _hear_.

In between gasps of Undyne's vocalised pain, Sans was finally able to hear, as well as feel in her throat, what he'd hoped for, and he jolted, his eyes glinting to life briefly. Silently, he dropped his hold on Undyne, and she fell back to her knees, again cowering beneath the weight of her grief. Sans, however, moved to Alphys's other side, placing her arm back onto her stomach and making sure the IV was still secured and in place. He then reached up to the waiting bag of DT and switched it open, adjusting it to a fast and steady drip. He then opened Alphys's IV, and as he held her hand, he watched the glowing substance travel down that tube and vanish into her hand.

While he listened to his Captain - his dear friend, Alphys's soulmate - scream out her agony and pain, he watched Alphys, holding his breath, waiting as calmly as possible – though deep down, he wished he could just join Undyne on the floor, terrified he was already too late...

Then, suddenly, Alphys gasped, her body jolting on the gurney, and she croaked out, her eyes still shut tight, “For-forgive m-me... Un... Undyne...” It was then followed by another harsh gasp, one ending in coughs, but it was enough.

Undyne, the moment she heard that gasp, looked up, her eye flaring, and she got up, throwing herself forward and to Alphys's other side, just as Alphys finished her sentence and gasped again. Her hand reached out, and Undyne grabbed it tight, her breath still held, as though unsure if her brain was trying to protect her again, that this wasn't real...

But then, Alphys sobbed, and she grated out, “I-I'm s-sorry... I wanted... t-to live... F-for-forgive... m-me...”

And Undyne suddenly grabbed hold of her, her own breath escaping her in the sound of a sob of her own, a sharp, disbelieving cry of her wife's name.

Sans stayed close, still holding Alphys's IVed hand gently, keeping it steady as the DT continued to drip down into it. When he was certain that it wouldn't stop, he suddenly shut his eyes and, in a very unusual gesture from him, lowered his forehead to Alphys's shoulder, holding her hand close to his chest.

He'd made it, this time. He'd actually made it. He'd saved a life, when he'd failed miserably, last time. Alphys’s heart was barely beating when they'd reached her, and he was certain it would stop before the DT hit her blood.

But he'd made it. And the very idea of that made him tremble and hold Alphys's warming-up hand tight.

Alphys was confused, and that was putting it mildly. She still thought she was trapped in the middle of the last shock, and was now hallucinating Undyne from both guilt and near-death. She kept begging Undyne to forgive her, over and over, and the image of Undyne kept shaking her head and kissing her, holding her close. Soon, though, Alphys was starting to understand that she wasn't dead – she wasn't even dying – and that, somehow, Undyne was actually real, and right there with her.

And suddenly she was sobbing, too, and burying her face into Undyne's chest, unable to speak coherently, anymore.

She'd survived. She kept her promise.

And she'd even saved Endogeny, too.

Therefore, for a long time, there was only this: three people, holding onto each other tight for dear life, two of them sobbing while the third sobbed the only way he could - inside.

And it was of pure relief – and shocked joy.

At last – and this time, for real.


	11. Chapter 11

It took some time, but soon, the three had calmed down enough to finally talk to each other. However, before Alphys could even begin to explain herself, sans – whose eyes were bright again, possibly the brightest they'd ever seen – beat her to it.

With a smile and a glint to his eyes, he said, “so, bitch, how's the bitchin'?”

Undyne turned to him, furious, but Alphys started laughing the moment he was done, stopping Undyne immediately. Alphys laughed so hard that she started to cry, and she even snorted, more than once, which had Undyne smiling, despite herself.

Alphys couldn't explain it. The moment she understood what sans had said, she couldn't help but find it hilarious. She _was_ a bitch, as again, she hadn't told anyone how risky this project was – even after promising to do so. But she still found it hilarious, anyway – especially when she realised she'd still succeeded.

So when the first thing anyone had said calmly was something like that, it really was funny – which was exactly what sans wanted: he wanted to hear Alphys laugh again.

He still hadn't let go of her hand.

“Alphy, you're not a bitch,” Undyne said, when Alphys was calm, again. Alphys looked up at her, smiling warmly, and Undyne closed her eye for a moment. Alphys reached up with her other hand and touched her cheek gently, hoping to cheer her up, and Undyne leaned into it. “You're not even close to being a bitch,” she murmured.

“No, I am,” Alphys corrected cheerfully. “I should have told you everything, Undyne. Or if not...” And she turned to sans. “I should have come to you.”

He nodded, his eyes flickering for a moment.

Undyne frowned, suddenly remembering something. She looked at sans, too. “What did you mean, before? When you said that Alphy was doing what ‘he' had done?”

“you can't guess?” sans answered, waving his hand around them.

“Oh,” Undyne said, blushing. Of course he had meant Gaster; that was where this whole thing came from.

“Y-yes,” Alphys agreed, wincing a little and shifting to get comfortable, again. She was still hooked up to the DT, but now she wondered if she should add morphine, too; she hurt like hell. “It-it was what he'd done; he'd tried to pull the DT out of himself, then re-inject it to heal himself.”

“but he fucked it up,” sans said. “and i don't get why it worked for you, when it killed him.”

“Be-because...” She growled, lying back; Undyne had grabbed a pillow and a blanket for her as she waited out the IV, but they weren't enough. “F-fuck,” she added, her voice breaking. “I-I need... C-can you, sans?” She pointed to the cabinet behind him, and he nodded and went to it.

Undyne leaned closer so that Alphys could lean on her, hoping to ease that pain. The DT was helping a great deal, but it was clear that Alphys was still pretty beat up. She leaned down and stroked Alphys's forehead gently, and Alphys relaxed a little.

When sans returned with another bag of medication, Undyne understood, and got up to help him set it up. Alphys watched them both, and she murmured, “Th-thank you... both of you... Y-you saved my l-life.”

“yep,” sans agreed with a smirk, hooking the new bag up to Alphys's IV and starting its drip. “hence why you're a bitch, doc.”

Undyne glowered at him, but Alphys laughed again, something that felt so good to do – especially when the morphine hit her bloodstream. She closed her eyes and relaxed completely, smiling. “Oh, god,” she whispered. “Th-thank you, sans...”

“Alphy, I know sans gets what happened, but I have no clue. What happened to you?” She cupped Alphys's face in her hands, and when she opened her eyes, they practically shimmered with love. “When we came in, you looked like you'd... So, how?”

“she wasn't dead, captain,” sans broke in, taking hold of Alphys's hand again casually. “when we came in, her heart was still beating, and she was still breathing. yeah, she was _fried_ \--,” Alphys scowled at him for that, “—but alive.” His eyes narrowed on hers. “barely.”

“I dropped the remote,” she murmured, blushing, Undyne kissed her cheeks, and Alphys looked back up at her.

“Tell me everything?” Undyne murmured. “All of it?”

Alphys nodded, and as the DT continued to heal her, she explained her breakthrough with the cure.

* * *

When Gaster had discovered DT, it was from one of the first souls ever collected. From the start, it was clear that Asgore had hoped to find a way to open the barrier another way, instead of the traditional way – and Gaster was supposed to help with that.

He was the one who invented the DT extraction machine – Alphys had merely found the blueprints left over in his files. He'd built it once, clearly, but when Alphys had moved in, there was no sign of it at all; just the space she imagined it had already been, and where she set it up again.

With the first soul, Gaster discovered Determination – only he called it “Inspiration” or “IS”. The moment he discovered it, he replicated it seven times, and tried to use it on the barrier in multiple ways – failing each time.

He then had wondered if a monster injected with IS could walk through the barrier as though they possessed two souls.

So he did once, and tried. And of course failed.

And that was when the multiple injections started in truth, especially when more souls were gathered. He wanted to see how much IS he would need to get through the barrier. If he extracted enough IS without killing the souls, he could bring multiple monsters to the surface to get the other souls faster.

But by the sixth shot, he started to melt – and he knew he'd made a huge mistake, and failed once again.

He figured, therefore, that he could extract the IS from his own body, all of it, and then re-inject the single, first shot to heal his body from the damage.

But his mistake, Alphys explained, was using the exact same IS – DT – to replace what he'd lost. By using the identical strain of it, he'd merely returned the problem back into his body, instead of curing it.

Alphys had not. She'd brought a fresh, new supply, one made specifically to save critical, dying monsters, to replace the DT she lost. And the DT she'd extracted was for Endogeny – and the cure.

“okay,” sans suddenly broke in at that. “and how does the cure work?”

Alphys nodded. “It works by using both monster DT and human DT together, and it works because it's from a completely different source; Endogeny's DT is almost the opposite of mine. We won't have to drain theirs, but inject the cure normally. If it succeeds, it will finally heal them – and break them apart.”

She smiled, and her eyes glinted – only with that steel grey colour, now; the purple was completely gone.

“Wait...” Undyne frowned. She'd followed it all, since Alphys spoke plainly and walked her through it, but something bothered her. “What do you mean by ‘monster DT _and_ human DT'?”

And it was here that Alphys suddenly went pale, her eyes widening and her hand going over her mouth in shock. She hadn't realised she'd blurted that out; she certainly hadn't meant to, despite it being completely true. The cure wouldn't of worked at all with human DT, alone.

_Why the hell did you say that?! Fuck!!_

Undyne blinked at her, even more confused, now – and worried, too.

sans certainly noticed, and he leaned closer to her and glared at her, his eyes suddenly dimming. “wait,” he murmured, as though finally understanding something. “wait a second...”

“Shut up!” Alphys pleaded. “Forget I mentioned it! Please!”

“How can we do that?” Undyne wondered dryly, taking hold of Alphys's hands and pulling them from her panicked face. “You kept something from us.”

“I didn't know for sure until I read those files – and tested my blood, myself,” Alphys answered, keeping her eyes squeezed closed. “But I've suspected it... ever since... ever since...”

She then opened her eyes and met Undyne's, her hands relaxing into hers, and she smiled so warmly that Undyne blushed. “Ever since you... you taught me to fight...”

Undyne gaped at her, then, shock knifing through her as she remembered.

_That first time she got back up without hesitating, her eyes had shimmered yellow..._

_And again when she'd kicked that human down..._

_And again when she'd realised she'd saved both Frisk and Asriel..._

_And again when...!_

_Oh holy fuck...!_

Those “agains” kept increasing, even concerning both of their daughters being conceived; Alphys's eyes had glinted with bright yellow not only during those conceptions, but after, too, when she'd sometimes overexert herself.

Then, suddenly, Undyne's mind was trapped in on single moment, and she went pale, her eye filling with tears.

“Oh my god,” she sobbed out. “That's why you... that's why you...!”

Alphys nodded slowly, and Undyne threw herself into her arms, bursting into tears. Alphys held her close.

But sans wasn't there, yet – a first, really. “what does she mean?” he demanded.

Alphys looked at him with a crooked smile. “Wh-when I got shot, s-sans... When I bled to death... I-I was... actually dead... but I didn't turn to dust right away... It wasn't that first shot of DT that had kept me in one piece... but my own. That shot certainly worked way faster, and better, but... I didn't t-turn to dust... be-because of... Undyne...”

Undyne buried her face into Alphys's chest, her fingers digging so hard into her back that Alphys winced, but she didn't pull away.

“Oh _fuck_ , Alphy,” Undyne sobbed. “I can't believe it... I can't believe it...!”

“But it's true,” Alphys insisted. “I'll always have that determination; I just used part of it for the cure. Monster determination...” She frowned. “It's weird. And rare.”

“you really were the only one who could do it...” sans suddenly said, his voice strained – though with what, Alphys didn't know. “you weren't being a bitch, after all. you were just being honest.”

Alphys nodded. “Y-yeah,” she agreed with another weak smile. “Surprising, I-I know.”

And her eyes then fell on the now-full tube attached to the control panel, and they lit up. “And we can finally cure someone.”

“but,” sans suddenly murmured, and she turned to him. “are you willing to do this three more times, doc?”

She smiled, her eyes glittering again. “For them, it will only be one shock, each. I won't need to replace much. It would be easy.”

Undyne’s head shot up at that. “The Memory Heads?”

Alphys nodded. While she hadn't seen them in decades, she knew they were around, still – they likely had never left the Lab. While she wasn't positive they were still alive, anymore, like the others, she was pretty sure they were.

However, sans knew for sure they were; he'd made it a habit check the Lab every month. He could always sense them, always knowing where they were, and each month, he found that all three were - still - alive.

“You can't do this again, Alphy,” Undyne suddenly said, shaking her head. “You can't.”

“No, not right away, true,” Alphys agreed. “And certainly not alone, either. But three more times...” She smiled, for real, this time. “I want to. I want to do this.”

Undyne bit her lip, eager to protest, but she knew better. The amalgamates had been Alphys's greatest failure, and if she could save as many of them as she could, she would.

But then, Undyne also saw that Alphys had no intention of putting herself at risk. Undyne knew, now, that if Alphys thought her life was in danger, she would stop.

She trusted Alphys. She always had. She always would.

“Okay, Alphy,” she whispered. “But with me, okay? Or Bassy.” She paused. “Or him.”

She waved at sans, who rolled his eyes at her. “thanks,” he muttered.

But Alphys was nodding. “Yes,” she agreed, touching Undyne's face again. “I promise.”

Undyne's eye both lit up – and filled with tears – and she leaned down again and hugged Alphys tight. Alphys curled around her and held her close, shutting her eyes and smiling.

Inside, she felt the stirrings of an emotion she'd never felt before, and she wanted more:

Peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since we know so little about Gaster, everything mentioned in this chapter is pure guesswork and fancy. To be blunt, I made it up with what I already knew. 
> 
> And yes: if you look back as far as "Paradise Marred" , you'll see plain as day the fact that Alphys has had her own determination since then. It's even obvious in "Delilah".
> 
> NO ONE asked me why Alphys was able to stay in one piece after she died in "Heartlines", not even when it was clear that the medics were actually just moments too late for their DT to save her. It was her own that kept her as together as possible, and that shot that sped it up and gave it more strength. 
> 
> NO ONE CAUGHT THAT! 
> 
> So, surprise, despite the fact that it was there all along?
> 
> :3! Also, we're not done yet!


	12. Chapter 12

It would take at least another hour – likely more – for the bag of DT to finish, and Alphys admitted shyly that she was exhausted and close to falling asleep, already.

Undyne smiled at her, a gesture that grew brighter when Alphys returned it rather dopily; Alphys was cute when medicated. She touched Alphys's cheek gently with her fingertips, and Alphys curled up closer to her, sighing deeply.

“I’ll stay with you for it all, okay?” Undyne then promised her, and Alphys closed her eyes, nodding. “But sans, you don't have to.”

“hm,” sans murmured. “actually...” He stood up. “doc, you have one of those iv dance partners?”

Alphys stared at him in bewilderment for a moment before her brain caught up to him. “Oh! You mean a portable pole?” When he nodded, she pointed to one in the corner, one with wheels.

He went over and grabbed it, then looked at Undyne. “i need your height for a sec, captain.”

Undyne blinked but got up, and when he gestured, she reached up and grabbed the two bags, then hooked them up to the pole.

“s-sans,” Alphys said, looking embarrassed. “I-I'm not strong enough to leave, just yet.”

“oh?” was his answer. “undyne, can you pick alphys up, or are you not there yet in terms of strength?”

Undyne answered by going back to Alphys and scooping her up easily into her arms, something Alphys again protested to, looking more than confused, now. But Undyne understood, and she said, “Hold onto your dance partner, love.”

Alphys blinked up at her, then grabbed it. sans grinned at Undyne and held out his hand to her, and with a slight wince, she took it, shutting her eye again tight.

But Alphys did not, as she'd no warning as to what would happen, next. The moment sans concentrated, they weren’t in the Lab anymore. She had no idea where they were; everything was mashed up, as though places in their lives had been thrown in a blender and poured out. She stared, open-mouthed, as she finally discovered what sans went through whenever he disappeared – and it made her both confused – and amazed.

It ended quickly, though, and Undyne shuddered, burying her face into the top of Alphys's head for a moment. Alphys, however, looked around in shock: they were home. Just like that.

“Wh...?” she stammered, her words slurring together. “What was...? What the hell was that?!”

“how i drive,” sans replied with a wink. He then looked up at Undyne. “you gonna be okay, or do you want me to stay and help?”

Undyne was about to reply, but Alphys interjected. “B-by the time I-I'm done, I'll be-be fine! Now tell me what that was!”

Undyne smiled happily at sans, unable to keep it in. In return, sans smiled back, surprising her, and then took Alphys's hand, squeezing it gently.

“don't pull that shit again, doctor bitch,” he told her, though he smiled, and his eyes were bright. “unless you have back-up, that is.”

Alphys nodded. “I-I know, but-but, sans? Tell me--?”

“nope,” was his reply. He squeezed her hand again, then turned and – for once – left out of the front door.

“Argh!” Alphys growled, crossing her arms and curling up again in Undyne's arms. When she did, she suddenly relaxed, the feel of Undyne holding her so soothing, and suddenly, she no longer cared, anymore. “Undyne?” she murmured, looking up at her – and finding Undyne already smiling down at her. “Can-can you...? When I sleep, can you st-stay?”

Undyne nodded. “There's nowhere else I wanna be,” she replied. Alphys grabbed hold of the pole again, and with that, Undyne carried her into their bedroom.

Once there, Undyne completely took over, lying Alphys down and wrapping her up in as many blankets as possible, leaving space only for her IVed hand and her face – which made her giggle happily.

Then, Undyne laid down beside her. Alphys turned to her and tugged on her arm, and with a smile, Undyne moved closer and wrapped her arms around her blanket-wife, holding her tight.

She buried her face into Alphys's blanketed shoulder, then, shivering. Now that they were actually home, the reality of what had almost happened was started to hit her, and she didn't like it.

Unfortunately, Alphys was oblivious, as once she was comfortable in Undyne's arms, she fell asleep.

But Undyne did not. She held Alphys close and cried softly, unable to keep it in, anymore.

She couldn't do this anymore.

She couldn't keep living life on this constant edge of agony, where a split-second meant life or death. She couldn't keep seeing her beloved wife hurt anymore. She couldn't even imagine getting hurt again, herself – it was too much. It was just too damned much, now.

She cried, because she knew what this meant, and she mourned that part of her life that she was going to end. It had been a major part of who she was, what she was, and why she was the way she was. To close that chapter seemed like a betrayal to that younger version of herself, and it was painful.

But she knew it was the right thing to do, now. She knew, because she'd almost had Alphys taken away from her twice, now, and all because of the fact that she hadn't been strong enough to _be there_. And that was completely because of that part of herself, the one she'd made so strong - and also, in a way, so _stupid_.

The fact was, when she realised she'd lost her strength, though she was horrified, there was also a strange sense of... calm. She was weaker, even now, even though she was fully healed and still working out. But she would never, ever regain that strength. And when she'd finally accepted that, she felt that strange calm again.

It was that calm that helped her accept that she was doing the right thing. In fact, she had planned to tell Alphys that afternoon, once she'd come home from the Lab.

Because it was Alphys, from the start, who'd suggested retiring to begin with.

It was a kind of irony she didn't appreciate, but she accepted it, too. It was yet another kick in her ass toward doing the right thing.

So she cried it out. She mourned it. She felt grief at its loss.

And then, she just let it go – and felt that calm take over – and soothe her pain, at last.

* * *

Frisk dropped her cup and dropped to the floor, both landing at the same time. Her eyes were wide, but her vision was clouding over, and she reached up and dug her hands into her hair, trembling.

Asriel quickly sat down beside her and held her up by the shoulders, noticing that she was swaying a little. He listened, and heard that her breathing was short and shallow, and – after shooting sans a horrific glare – he leaned close and started talking Frisk through it slowly, hoping to calm her down.

With a sigh, sans sat down at the kitchen table, leaning forward and holding his head in his hands. “honestly? that was my reaction, too.”

Frisk opened her mouth to say something, but all she got out was, “Alphys, you _idiot!”_ before covering her face and bursting into tears.

Asriel gently took hold of her and pulled her to her feet and into the living room, sitting her down on the couch, where she curled up and wept. Asriel sat down next to her and rubbed her back, shooting sans another glare, before waving him over.

sans slowly walked over, shuffling his feet, and sat down on the floor in front of Frisk. However, he looked at Asriel, and spoke to him. “she's gonna do it three more times, but--,”

 _”No!!”_ Frisk suddenly shouted, so loudly that the other two winced. _”No, she will not!!”_

“sorry, frisk, but she will,” sans answered. “she was a moron, absolutely. but for once, she took the risk seriously and had prepared for it. she just fucked up a little, and it was out of her control, too. it wasn't her fault.”

Asriel searched his face closely. He knew Alphys was strong - he'd fought her, himself – and intelligent. He also knew how obsessed she was with DT, and how often she'd put her life on the line to make use of it.

So to hear that she'd actually tried to save herself – and even admitted that she was trying to abort the last shock when she dropped the remote – was oddly comforting.

Frisk was staring at sans, too, thinking very similar things, despite her anger and trembling. She knew her friend. And she knew that Alphys would likely be even safer, as she'd promised she wouldn't be alone. And the risks were fewer, too.

She covered her face again and shut her eyes. Slowly, she nodded.

“We can't tell her kids,” Asriel suddenly said, his eyes wide. “We can't. Especially Basket.”

“no, weed, you're wrong. they have the right to know about this, especially since it finally means alphys will quit the dt obsession.” He smiled. “don't you think they deserve to know why?”

“Oh...” Asriel winced, nodding.

“I can't stand this,” Frisk whispered, rocking slowly. “I can't stand it. Undyne took bullets for me. Alphys electrocuted herself for that cure. I can't... I-I can't stand watching them play with death, anymore...”

“so... tell them to quit,” sans said, his voice so casual that Asriel wanted to punch him.

“Alphys was _just_ named Headmistress, bastard!” Asriel snapped. “And she's doing amazing! She's happy!”

“yeah, but when that asshole doctor told her undyne was gonna die, she didn't care about it at all, did she?” sans wondered. “we all know that her family is the most important thing to her. including you two. if you told her to stop – especially you, frisk – she would listen.”

“And... and so would Undyne,” Asriel agreed. “Because she would do anything to stay at Alphys's side.”

“If they even listen to me at all...” Frisk muttered. “And, then what? What about the school? Alphys loves being Headmistress. It's the constant DT crap that keeps derailing her life that I have a problem with.”

“But...” Asriel blinked. “That shit's over, now. She found the cure. Now, she doesn't have to be haunted by it, anymore. She can finally _live_. I don't think she needs to quit, Frisk.”

sans nodded, looking impressed with Asriel – for once.

“And Undyne?” Frisk wondered.

Asriel bit his lip. The fact was, he was pretty sure that Undyne would give them a huge fight about it. He knew how much being a teacher – and a Royal Guard – meant to her.

But then sans surprised them both. “you didn't see her when she realised alphys was finally done with dt. her eye... it just lit right up. and she looked really relieved, too.”

Frisk lowered her hands, her own eyes looking brighter, too. “I know you both think I'm being a brat and unfair, but...” She winced. “Th-they're getting older. I know you and Papyrus don't seem to age, but they both do – and are. I... I'm not ready to say goodbye to either of them, yet...”

Asriel nodded, his eyes burning, and he looked away. With that, he understood her completely – and decided he would do everything he could to make what she wanted happen.

But sans, for once, actually ended up right.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This entire chapter is NSFW. Trust me. It is. If it makes you unhappy, it's skippable. You won't miss anything save emotional sex :).

About five minutes after the bag of DT finished, Alphys woke up right away – and wide awake. She sat up, her eyes wide and her face bright red, and quickly, she reached over and shut the drip off, then detached the tube from her hand's IV port.

Undyne sat up a moment after, blinking in both confusion and concern, and she placed a hand on Alphys's back gently. Alphys jumped, looking over at her briefly before looking away again – and blushing deeper.

“Hey,” Undyne murmured, her heart calming, and she smiled. “You okay?”

Alphys answered before she could stop herself. “I am so fucking hungry and horny, Undyne.”

Undyne stared at her for just a moment, before she suddenly burst into laughter, so hard that she fell back on the bed and practically howled her laughs.

Alphys then whined, realising what she'd said, and curled up under her blankets again, embarrassed. She couldn't of helped it, though, no matter how hard she tried – it was the truth, after all.

Undyne, when she could, sat up and kissed where she thought Alphys's face was (she missed, and ended up kissing her shoulder, making things worse, really). “Wait here,” she then said, jumping to her feet and jogging out of the room.

Curious, Alphys peered over the blankets, just as Undyne walked in with two cartons. Immediately, Alphys shot out from her nest and sat up, her tail wagging so fast it was a blur. Undyne laughed again and handed her one, and she dove into it greedily.

Undyne sat beside her and joined her, albeit at a more sedate pace. She'd ordered the food hours ago, and while it was a little cool, it was still delicious.

She laughed a few times while watching Alphys, tickled by how focused her wife was on eating. Midway, she paused to finally removed the IV port, blushing again, but once she'd bandaged her hand, she practically leapt for the food again, causing Undyne to almost choke.

Alphys helped her with genuine worry, and it was at this moment that Undyne suddenly lost it.

Her wife just abandoned her food and went to her side, taking hold of her so gently that Undyne felt very fragile, indeed. She raised her head and reached up, touching Alphys's pink cheek gently. Alphys's eyes softened, as did her smile, and she reached up and placed her hand over Undyne's, holding it in place. When she did, the light suddenly bounced off of her wedding ring, a glitter in a relatively dim room, and Undyne just – lost it.

She pounced, like she did their first night together, without a word or sound, and pinned Alphys beneath her, covering her lips with her own. Alphys not only returned the kiss, but she growled, her hands reaching up and undoing Undyne's hair, while her legs caught Undyne by the waist and drew her down close. Undyne’s eye rolled up at that, and she pushed down, grinding her hips down against Alphys’s, sending sparks of pleasure through them both. Alphys even purred, shivering against her, and Undyne did it again, just to hear it once more – something Alphys did with little control.

Alphys broke away to trail her lips down along Undyne's jawline, before brushing them slowly over her neck. Undyne tilted her head back and grinned, her hands clenching into the bedsheets tighter, something that made Alphys burn hotter – and suddenly bite Undyne's neck. Undyne groaned, grinning with bliss, then grabbed hold of Alphys and rolled her over.

For a moment, it was a blurry struggle, as they hurriedly stripped each other and kissed each newly bared part with fewer pauses in between. It was Alphys who ended up naked, first, and Undyne pounced again, only to dart down between Alphys's legs and bury her face between them, holding her legs tight.

Again, Undyne's eye rolled up from pure pleasure alone, the taste of Alphys maddening to her. She grinned, even as she licked deeper and deeper, her heart beating fast and her blood rushing hot. Every time Alphys cried out, growled, or - Undyne's favourite – purred out Undyne's name, Undyne felt herself get hotter, needier, greedier, even...

Alphys then hissed out, her body stiffening and arching back, before she gasped, one hand grabbing the back of Undyne's head hard, the other holding onto one of her hands tight, so tight her claws dug into her skin, but Undyne didn't care. She pushed closer, licking deeper and faster, her eye still closed in that lingering bliss.

Alphys then whispered out Undyne's name, between sharp, shocked gasps, and Undyne shuddered, loving that sound – loving all of her wife's sounds – and feeling already so raw and eager. She moved closer to make sure that her orgasm would either linger – or repeat - and Alphys yelped out sharply, her eyes snapping open and her body arching back again.

Undyne grinned, grabbing hold of her hips and pulling her down closer. She knew what that meant, and was eager to keep it going.

Alphys gasped, her eyes shutting tight and her head tilting back, her breathing fast – but desperate, now. She was still shaking from her first climax, but when Undyne kept going, she suddenly didn't care. She wanted another, and badly, now. She heard herself pleading with Undyne, her claws scrabbling at her hands, and Undyne not only listened, but gave her better than she begged for.

When her second orgasm hit, she sobbed out, her senses overwhelmed for that entire time, so that all she knew was that euphoria. She smiled, though, and held Undyne's hands both firmly but with tenderness, even as she lost control of her body, even as Undyne struggled to hold her in place with a chuckle.

When she dropped back down to the bed, gasping for breath but grinning, her hands on her face and her eyes closed. When she felt Undyne slide over her body and press close, her eyes opened and glinted – with _yellow_ , Undyne saw. She stared, her eye flaring in shock, before she pushed closed and kissed Alphys again, holding her face tight, trying desperately not to cry.

It really _had_ been there all along. She'd seen it hundreds of time, and never understood. She'd always assumed it was a side-effect of a magic she didn't understand, and never asked about.

Now, seeing it, especially like _this_ – soaked in love for her, only her – Undyne wanted Alphys to come yet again, over and over, until she was so blissed out she fell asleep on a cloud of it...

“Undyne...” Alphys breathed out, her hands holding Undyne's shoulders tight. “Undyne, I want you to... I _need you to...”_ She growled, losing all words, before she simply shoved Undyne off of her, then jumped atop her and pinned her, kissing her again so hard that Undyne lost her breath for a moment. She pulled Alphys down against her eagerly, whispering her name against her lips, and she felt Alphys shiver.

Alphys reached down, parting Undyne's legs, before she readjusted herself atop her, so that their legs tangled together but their flesh still touched. Undyne laughed, her hands going up and holding Alphys's face, her eye open and on Alphys's, the colour so warm that Alphys again shivered, her eyes filling with tears for a moment.

“C'mere,” Undyne murmured, smiling up at her, stroking her cheeks slowly. Alphys closed her eyes and leaned down, pressing her body against Undyne's as their lips met, wrapping one arm around Undyne's leg, the other flat against the bed, her claws digging in hard. They kissed, this time slowly, and alongside it, Alphys began to move her body against Undyne’s the same way, sending Undyne into an almost hyponotised state – one she surrendered to willingly and with a grin.

Then, Undyne gasped, her eye squeezing shut tight in shock; Alphys had slid her hand down from the bed to Undyne's side, and was now tracing her gills with slow, feather-light fingertips. She dipped her head down and bit Undyne's neck, bringing another gasp from her, clinging onto her tightly, her arms and her free leg wrapped around Alphys with little space between them.

“Undyne,” Alphys whispered, her voice wavering. Undyne nodded, her teeth bared and her head thrown back, each breath a sharp one, and each time Alphys moved against her, she felt her whole body shudder, each thrust of those hips bringing her closer and closer to that edge...

“Yes,” she managed to choke out, the one now writhing, as Alphys bit down on the other side of her neck _. “Yes_ , Alphy...!”

Alphys smiled and raised her head, looking down at her fondly. “Undyne... I... I love you so... so much...”

Undyne’s eye opened and met Alphys's, darting between them quickly, her mouth open. The expression on Alphys's face took her breath away, and she felt her eye burn with tears of her own, love stabbing her so hard in the heart that she grabbed hold of Alphys harder, arching up against her. When Alphys kissed her lips again, she returned it with such fervour that Alphys's eyes rolled up and shut tight, her pace increasing without realising it.

Undyne arched up against Alphys again, an eager growl ripping from her throat, her arms and legs - even the one Alphys held, this time - tightening around her, her cries increasing the more they moved – and the closer she got.

Alphys seemed to practically know her own thoughts before she even knew them, as the moment she wished Alphys would push her down harder, Alphys did, bringing a delighted gasp and grin from her. Alphys then started stroking her gills closer, and Undyne cried out again, grinning but shaking from how wonderful this felt – and just how close she was.

When Alphys lowered her head down and captured one of Undyne's nipples between her lips, Undyne yelped, jerked hard against her, and that was it – she came, and hard, so much harder than she'd expected. She shouted out Alphys's name, her nails digging into her back, even as Alphys slowed down and kissed her lips again, pulling sweet aftershocks from her and making her giggle like a kid.

Then, Alphys stopped moving, but she kept kissing Undyne in that slow, tender way. Undyne felt those tears return, and she grabbed hold of Alphys's face, gasping between each kiss as she wept. Alphys tried to calm her, but ended up crying alongside her – making her laugh tearfully, pulling her down close again.

For that moment, they just held each other, Alphys still pressed against Undyne, still caressing her fingertips over her body, over every single inch of skin – even the scars and stretch marks - and Undyne shivered with each touch, smiling and feeling such happiness in her heart. Alphys did, too, and was also smiling while crying.

And it was _wonderful_. That was Alphys's constant conclusion: everything about this was wonderful, and she could think of nothing better than this. So she enjoyed every second, memorising all of it and pinning it to her soul.

Then, Undyne whispered, “Alphy... I quit.”

Alphys jerked back, sitting up quickly, her face falling and going so pale that Undyne was immediately worried. Undyne sat up, too, but it was too late; Alphys was curled up, shaking, and refused to look at her.

“Please...” she whispered, her face covered by her knees, her shoulders shaking. “Please, Undyne, don't...? I’m sorry... Pl-please don't say goodbye to me like-like th-this...”

Undyne inwardly punched herself; what a stupid way to say it, and after such a moment, too. She moved closer and pulled Alphys back into her arms, kissing her forehead.

“No, nerd,” she whispered back, stroking her back slowly. “I mean, I quit _my job_ , Alphy. And... and I quit the Royal Guard, too.”

Alphys raised her head, her face shocked. “Wh-what?” she squeaked out. “What did y-you just say?!”

“As of right now, Alphy,” Undyne replied, nodding and smiling at her; Alphys's tail had slowly started to wag without her control. “You were right, Alphy. We can't do this shit anymore. We need to focus on living, on staying alive. And we can’t do that unless--merph!”

Alphys had tackled her before she could finish her sentence, pinning her back down and pulling her hips up against her own, kissing her so hard they were gasping. In seconds, they were burning for each other, again, and once more, they flared together into the strongest flame yet.

One that would never, ever burn out.


	14. Chapter 14

Slowly, as the sun went down and bathed their room with reds and oranges, Alphys stirred against Undyne, blinking more awake, before she pushed herself up and leaned down, glancing at Undyne closely.

Luckily, Undyne was still sleeping, a deep sleep of one spent and content about it, and Alphys smiled, her tail swaying slowly the longer she looked.

No matter how much they changed – and they both had, over the decades – there was a certain confidence between the two of them. Granted, Alphys's knee-jerk reaction to Undyne's simple words was normal, in a way, but those moments were now so rare and few that, when they did happen, both took it far more seriously.

Because, now, truly, there was nothing keeping them apart. Sure, there would always be public risks, especially the older Frisk got, but those were also slowing down, too. Really, that shooting had been the first real serious attempt in many years, and it had still shocked everyone.

Alphys bit her lip, then reached down, slowly trailing her clawtips through Undyne's now mostly-white hair. It still carried some red, and when brushed with the white, gave it a more light-orange hue, but when loose, those red streaks were more obvious – especially with how few there were, now.

Undyne sighed deeply, shifting a little, but she stayed sleeping, which Alphys liked. One of the best things in the world for Alphys was to watch Undyne sleep – and sleep peacefully, too. It added to her own peaceful feeling, especially when she thought about what they'd talked about all night – in between food and sex breaks.

She was quitting. She was actually quitting.

Alphys chewed on her lip, thoughtful. She knew that Undyne had already been complaining about sore muscles from gym classes, but now, after her coma, there was no way she'd be able to keep up with her students, anymore. Undyne knew this too, and they'd talked about it a great deal.

While she'd miss the students and how funny kids could be, she knew that her days were done – at least as a gym teacher. Alphys offered Undyne a desk position, but Undyne scowled and shook her head.

“No way,” she'd grumbled. “That's not me. I'm never happy in a job that keeps me still. It's why I'm quitting the Guard, too. I need to figure out _how_ to be still, yeah - but not like that."

That had surprised Alphys. Undyne had been serving as an honourary captain the moment she'd stepped onto the surface; on the surface, there'd been no need for a Royal Guard – at first. When Frisk had been shot, Undyne decided it was time to bring it back, so she did. And she'd trained all of them herself, all while still working as a teacher – and as Paladin.

When being the Paladin ended, Undyne had started to think about retirement, even back then. But with Dandelion being born, and then the release of Carlson... She stayed. She had to.

“But I'm done, now, Alphy,” Undyne then said, staring right into her eyes to prove her sincerity. “I'm fucking done. It's not like I'll never protect Frisk again, but when it comes to things like public events, I know I can trust my Guards to do the things I'd always do, myself.”

Alphys had nodded, reaching up and rubbing Undyne's cheek slowly, and she sighed. “I just... I'm so _tired_ , Alphy. I am. I’m not able to bounce back like I used to. I haven't been for years. It took a coma for me to finally get it.”

Alphys had shivered and curled up into her arms, then, and Undyne kept her close.

Now, Alphys shifted closer, careful not to wake Undyne, and she smiled.

She was done, too.

She still remembered those horrifying moments during that fifth shock, when she'd tried to abort the entire thing to save herself. She didn't regret trying. Even though it ended up working despite that error, it was pure, dumb luck, and she knew she couldn't trust it, again.

So she wouldn't.

By now, there were dozens of accomplished Determination scientists and doctors whom had been taught by Alphys, herself, both humans and monsters who were astute and skilled with that knowledge - enough to even surpass her a few cherished times.

She knew she could retire from that part of her life – and DT, itself – with confidence and relief. And while she'd remain Headmistress, she'd decided to stop teaching DT classes for a while, letting other teachers take over for her and teach even better. Instead, she'd teach human and monster media (something she was actually really excited about).

And while Undyne wasn't sure what she wanted to do yet, it was okay. She could figure it out and take her time doing it, and if she never found anything, that was fine, too.

“Mm...” Undyne suddenly purred, sliding over to Alphys and clinging onto her tight, burying her face between her breasts, making her giggle and try to squirm away. Instead, Undyne simply moved closer, trying to bury her face deeper with a chuckle.

“Undyne!” Alphys cried between snorts of laughter. “St-stop!”

Undyne looked up from her preferred set of pillows and grinned, her eye glinting mischievously – and affection. “Hey, cutie,” she murmured, moving even closer and pressing herself alongside her wife, relishing in the feel of their naked skin touching.

“Evening,” Alphys managed to squeak out, before grabbing Undyne's face and pulling her close for a kiss. Undyne surprised her, then, and slid on top of her, wrapping her entire body around Alphys's and deepening the kiss.

Alphys closed her eyes and arched against her, desire lancing into her, despite the hours already spent in bed. She couldn't help herself, couldn't help that flash of emotion, every time Undyne kissed her like this. Undyne knew it, too, and soon reached between them, her fingers reaching deep, and Alphys was hers, and only hers.

* * *

After, Alphys was still trying to catch her breath, but she managed to get out, “Undyne... you're amazing...”

Undyne grinned, kissing Alphys between her breasts and over her heart. “I'm happy,” she admitted, one hand trailing feather-light fingertips over Alphys's still-sensitive skin, and felt her shiver. She closed her eye and grinned. “I'm so fucking happy, Alphy.”

“M-me too,” Alphys murmured, kissing the top of Undyne's sweaty head gently.

“Know why I'm happy?” Undyne wondered.

“Mm...” Alphys replied, smiling and hugging her tighter.

“Yes,” Undyne agreed. “But I was happy before this. Know why?”

Alphys sighed. “Undyne, you know how much I suck at guessing...”

“Because, Alphy... I feel...” She raised her head, placing her chin on Alphys's chest to look at her. “Free.”

Alphys blinked down at her. “Free?”

“Yeah,” she agreed. “I feel free. I feel like I can finally relax, calm down, focus on happiness... y'know?”

Alphys nodded, surprising her. “Yes,” she said softly. “It was the same thing I felt the moment I realised I'd succeeded with the cure.” She paused. “It's peace.”

Undyne nodded, grinning. “Yes! Peace! Exactly! You feel it, too?”

Alphys nodded, closing her eyes quickly; they'd filled up with tears without control, and she didn't want Undyne to see them. But Undyne knew her Alphy, and was immediately beside her and kissing her cheeks softly, and in turn, Alphys broke down and cried.

She wasn't sad. Not even close. She was.... _thrilled_. Overjoyed. She'd been afraid that once Undyne woke up, she'd suddenly regret her decisions from last night, and go back on them. But now, knowing Undyne hadn't changed her mind at all, Alphys felt so relieved that she had to cry.

“Thank you...” Alphys whispered. “Th-thank you so much...”

Undyne curled up beside her and held her through her tears, unable to help crying a little, herself – but for the same reasons.

* * *

The next day, before they told anyone else, Alphys, Undyne, and sans returned to the True Lab together later that day to finally finish what Alphys had started.

Undyne had called Basket in the morning and asked her to keep Dandelion with her until the afternoon, and when Basket asked why (sounding irritated), Undyne said, “I can't say yet, but when I can, you'll know it'll be worth it.”

Basket had grumbled and whined, but agreed, and after being whined at by Dandelion, who missed her, she finally hung up – and got ready to go.

Now, Alphys flitted around the room, hooking up three separate vials and labelling each one with the words “Memory Head”.

Undyne set up the bags for the IV – this time with morphine as well as DT, just in case - and sans prepared the IVs. They all knew it would be nowhere as dangerous as the first time, especially since Alphys wasn't alone, but since it was still three shocks, they decided safest was best. She wasn't even sure if she would need the DT after, but wanted to be as safe as possible.

“Alphy,” Undyne then said, right before Alphys sat down on the gurney. “Are you sure about this?”

Alphys nodded right away, getting her IV port ready with the ease of a pro. “Yes,” she agreed. “I'll be fine.”

Undyne opened her mouth to protest, but then sans grabbed her hand and stopped her. She turned to him, and he nodded, smiling.

With a sigh, Undyne nodded. “Okay,” she said.

Alphys smiled up at her, then laid down, just as she had before. Undyne sat beside her, but was not allowed to touch her through the shocks; it would ruin the sample, and possibly hurt Undyne. It upset Undyne, but she didn't say anything; she just sat down and forced a smile, her hands held in her lap and shaking.

Then, Alphys closed her eyes, held the remote, and began.

For Undyne, it was horrific. She sat frozen, her whole body rigid with terror, when that first round hit her wife. She felt her whole being just freeze, and she couldn't move, couldn't speak... she could barely breathe...

When it ended, Alphys winced and breathed hard for a moment, but when she was able, she opened her eyes and said, “Yes?”

“yep,” sans replied.

Alphys smiled, closed her eyes again, and hit the button.

This time, Undyne covered her eyes, trembling. She couldn’t watch. She could barely stand to stay in the room.

Again, it stopped, and again, Alphys had to collect herself for a moment before she could ask sans, again, “Yes?” in a smaller, softer voice.

When he agreed, she grinned, her eyes glinting. With a giddy shiver, she closed her eyes and pushed that button for the last time.

Undyne cowered, her whole body shaking like she was feverish. It worsened when she heard Alphys cry out softly, then go quiet, before the shock ended.

Undyne couldn't look. She couldn't. She knew better, knew she was being a fool, but she just couldn't.

 _Until_...

“Y-yes?”

“yepper.”

Only then was Undyne able to thaw out, to lower her hands, to open her eye and lean closer.

When she felt Alphys grab hold of her around her neck and bury her face into her shoulder, Undyne shut her eye, grabbing her so closely that Alphys sat up a little, just to stay in Undyne's arms.

Only then did Undyne calm down, especially when she heard Alphys whisper in her ear, “We did it.”

And when she said that, Undyne sobbed and held her tight, rocking them both slowly while she cried and cried; she felt Alphys kissing her cheeks gently to try and calm her, and only felt more relief – and more tears.

 _“Alphy,”_ she finally managed to say, in between sobs, “I fucking _love you._.. Never, _ever_ leave me... And if you do, I'll fucking follow you and _kick your ass!”_

Alphys, starting to feel both woozy and giddy, was unable to do much but laugh in reply, feeling so bright and light and...

_...free._

* * *

Later, much later, sans returned to the Lab alone, grabbed the cures, and searched for the Memory Heads. 

He found them in the flower room. Or, rather, he sensed them there, since they were actually hiding from him. He went in, anyway, and carefully placed the three syringes on the countertop.

"the cure. she did it." He paused. "so now you can go back."

There was a heavy pause, one that sans listened to, and he grinned, shaking his head.

"if it works, just... go. i don't even wanna know if it does. forget about us, and here, and when."

He considered for a moment, then shook his head again, his eyes so bright that they were practically glowing.

"i'm... i'm gonna stay here, no matter what _you_ choose, okay? i know what i always said, but..." He stood up taller, his grin widening. 

"this is where i belong, now. nothing, not even there, is better than this." He closed his eyes. "i'm home."

He waited, his eyes slowly opening again, before he shrugged. "good luck," he concluded, before he tucked his now-empty hands into his pockets and left.

The next month, when he checked, they were gone.

And sans was so happy that he just sat down on the floor and laughed. 

He was unable to stop for some time. But when he did, he left the Lab with barely-contained joy.

He was home. He'd never forget.

But he was home.

 


	15. Chapter 15

If she were honest with herself, an immense part of Alphys expected the cure to fail. It was just her nature; after so many years of trying and failing, despite knowing better, she still braced herself for that failure.

When Doggo brought Endogeny to the True Lab, he did it with visible trepidation. Doggo had aged just as much as the rest of them, and was therefore more white than brown, his eyes a little rheumy and slow to focus. They'd kept in contact with him - Undyne, especially – and therefore, it was easy to contact him and ask him for his discretion, as they hadn't gone public, yet.

“Captain,” Doggo greeted, hugging Undyne tight – a gesture that surprised her, honestly, until he added, “We were so sure you were a goner, Captain.”

She winced but hugged back, her eye going to Alphys over his shoulder. She bit her lip and looked away, rubbing one of her wrists unconsciously, and Undyne was reminded of just how bad things had gone – and how much worse they could have gone, too. She didn't like to think about it, but to avoid doing so would be the worst kind of denial, and she refused to do that.

“Sorry,” she murmured, rubbing his slightly-hunched back gently. “I promise, I won't do it again.”

Doggo snorted when he pulled away, giving her a wry grin. “Sure, Captain,” he replied obviously just humouring her. Instead, it annoyed her, and she scowled at him.

“A-anyway,” Alphys broke in quickly, before Undyne could snap at Doggo. She was standing beside Endogeny, who was leaning on her with a great deal of ecto-drool and affection, and she petted them as she spoke. “Wh-when you're ready, we-we can get started.”

Endogeny raised their head and wagged their tails, leaning on her heavier, and she stumbled a bit but giggled, giving their head a massive scratch, something that earned her a happy sigh.

Doggo smile. “Well, if they're ready, so am I,” he said. “Just... don't stay still for too long, okay?”

Undyne grinned. “You got it.”

With some help, they got Endogeny onto a makeshift pillow-bed for them to lie on, while Alphys went to get the cure ready. Her hands shook, and her whole body was rigid with fear, but she didn't say anything, and she managed to prep the needle without any incident.

When she came back, Undyne was sitting on the floor beside Endogeny, whom had rested their massive head onto her lap with a great deal of happy, wagging tails. Undyne grinned and petted them, and Doggo watched, sitting on a chair nearby.

“O-okay,” Alphys stammered, kneeling down on Endogeny's other side. “I-I don't know exactly h-how this will work, b-but I-if - _when_ – it does, we'll know. It might take time, s-so...” She swallowed. “Be patient.”

Undyne smiled at her, realising that she was speaking mostly to herself than anyone else. Alphys noticed and bit her lip, before she gently reached under Endogeny's wet fur and prised it apart enough to their skin. She then cleaned it, before she moved closer and pressed the needle to the skin.

“Just a sting, okay?” she murmured to them. Endogeny thumped their tails on the floor in acknowledgement, and she smiled shakily. Carefully, she pushed the needle beneath the skin, and Endogeny huffed a little but didn't move, so Alphys pushed the plunger down slowly, watching them carefully the whole time.

When it was empty, Alphys pulled the syringe away and set it on the floor, pressing a cottonball to the site and cleaning it, before bandaging it. She was shaking, now, but tried to hide it. She then sat up and placed her hand on Endogeny's shoulder, watching and waiting in silence.

And for several minutes, nothing happened, and Alphys felt an immense sinking in her gut, her eyes stinging with tears. She lowered her head and whispered, “I-I... I'm... I--,”

Before she could finish, though, Endogeny suddenly shuddered, a gesture that was felt as well as seen. Alphys looked up quickly, fear her default response, but then Endogeny sighed, lowered their head – and shuddered again, this time starting to...

...melt.

Alphys yelped out in dismay, her hands reaching out to try and stop it, trying to pull them back together, just like she had when this all began...

“Alphy.”

She felt a hand on hers, and she looked up, her breath held. Undyne pulled her hand away, then pulled her over to sit beside her. Undyne’s eye was on Endogeny, but it was clear – and bright. Even Doggo was leaning forward, his tail slowly wagging.

Because what Alphys had misinterpreted as melting wasn't melting at all – at least, not in the way she'd feared. They were melting, in a way, yes – but apart, and into separate parts.

Slowly, before her eyes, she watched as Endogeny slowly broke apart – and ceased to be. In their place were several dogs, in varying sizes and colours, and while they clearly showed age, they were all happy.

Greatest Dog was the first to be fully formed, and she bounded forward and landed on Alphys, knocking her down and covering her face in lick-kisses, yelping happily. Without her armour, she was even smaller than Greater Dog, but that didn't matter at this moment.

Before Alphys could even recover, she was then pinned down by Doggo's brother, Duggo, who was, like Doggo, more monsterlike than doglike, and he hugged her tight, his now-blind eyes still shining with joy.

And if that wasn't enough, the other three – relatives of the Ice Wolf from Snowdin, Dogaressa, and Dogamy – joined in on the literal dogpile, and soon Alphys could barely be seen beneath them.

She burst into tears, then, holding them all close to her, both laughing and sobbing so hard that she choked several times – but she didn't sit up or pull away. They tried to calm her down, to reassure her that, despite how old they now were, they were still overjoyed to be free and themselves again, at last.

Undyne soon jumped in, hugging each dog before hugging her wife, and upon seeing all of the happy movement, Doggo yipped, followed it, and joined in, too.

And Alphys shut her eyes and cried, her heart finally healing deep within her – the last cracks within it closing up – and it was finally whole.

* * *

The moment Alphys was done explaining, Basket lunged forward and hugged onto her tight. Everyone expected her to sob, but instead, she snarled, _”You’re a bitch!!_

“Bassy!” Nickname protested, sharing a look of surprise with Olceal.

However, both Undyne and Alphys started laughing, and Alphys kissed Basket's forehead and hugged her tight. Silently, sans was laughing, shaking his head slowly.

“HM,” Papyrus said, rubbing his chin with his gloved hand. “THAT SEEMS A BIT HARSH, DON'T YOU THINK? I MEAN, SHE DID EVERYTHING SHE COULD. IT WAS AN ACCIDENT.”

Undyne beamed at him, nodding; she knew that he, above all, would understand.

Alphys, however, shook her head. “It's alright,” she admitted with a tear-eyed smile. “If anyone should call me a bitch, it's Bassy.”

Mettaton coughed to mask a laugh, then innocently looked up at the ceiling when Undyne glowered at him.

Both Asriel and Frisk were quiet, trying to stay calm. They were holding hands tightly, and they both shook from it. When their eyes met, they both broke down and burst into tears at the same time, grabbing each other and holding on, tight.

“Er,” Alphys stammered, surprised – as well as worried – by this sudden duet of tears.

Nickname smiled. “Don't worry about them,” she said kindly. “DT was personal for them, too.”

Both Alphys and Undyne blinked, surprised; it was true. DT had, in its own twisted way, saved Asriel, and it did so again when he was himself, for real. It had also saved Frisk at the same time. In a way, they both owed their lives to Alphys's research, and now that it was finally concluded – and thus almost foolproof when it came to medical uses – it was an amazing, albeit emotional, shock.

Dandelion had been quiet the whole time, but it was no that she decided to speak. “Mummy, does this mean that you and Mommy are done being stupid?”

Undyne grinned and picked her up, standing up to hold her upside-down, which resulted in a torrent of giggles from Dandelion. “We'll always be stupid, Lioness!” Undyne declared.

“Just... a safer kind of stupid,” Alphys agreed. Basket scowled at her, but she smiled in return and gently ruffled her hair, and Basket was mollified.

“Alphys?”

Alphys looked up, surprised; it was Frisk, and she was holding her hand out, still in Asriel's arms. She waved her hand, and Alphys took it, finding herself yanked into a hug, one half-Frisk and half-Asriel. She didn't move, too shocked, until she heard Asriel whisper _, “Depraved mad scientist.”_

Then, she grinned, threw her arms around them both, and hugged them back tight, unable to hold back tears of her own.

  
This became less true when Undyne suddenly tackled all of them and hugged them tight; while she couldn't pick them all up as easily anymore, she could at least do this.

* * *

“You thought it would fail.”

The whispered words surprised Alphys, making her jump and look up. Undyne stared at her closely, even in the dim light. By now, almost everyone was either asleep or dozing lightly in front of the TV, a favourite movie playing. Alphys had actually been watching when Undyne whispered to her; she'd also thought that Undyne was asleep, too.

“Wh-what do you m-mean?” Alphys whispered back, careful to keep her voice as low as possible; Dandelion was asleep in her lap.

“The cure, Alphy,” Undyne said. “You thought it would fail, didn't you?”

Alphys bit her lip, as she'd been about to lie. Wordlessly, she nodded instead, and Undyne frowned at her.

“But...” Undyne searched her gaze. “Alphy, if you were certain it would fail, why did you risk your life for it?”

“I... h-had to try,” she murmured, looking down.

Instead of upsetting her, like Alphys expected, this actually made Undyne feel better. She pulled Alphys (and thus Dandelion, too) closer into her lap and grinned, kissing the tip of her nose.

“Yes, my love,” she whispered, holding a hand to Alphys's cheek. “You are one who always tries. And I love you so much for it.”

Alphys bit her lip again harder this time, because if she didn't, she knew she would sob. She curled up against Undyne and buried her face into her chest, managing to keep her tears muffled, and Undyne cuddled her close, smiling, still.

* * *

That morning, Frisk called her coworkers and told them what had happened, and gave them permission to contact the media with it. She also suggested a press conference if they felt it was needed, and for them to call her for anything.

Alphys felt slight nervousness fill her. “Frisk,” she said softly. “Uhm, I... I'm n-not sure, th-this soon, if I can do a pr-press--,”

Frisk smiled and touched her shoulder, silencing her. “I know,” she agreed. “And it's okay. I can handle it, okay? You keep an eye on Undyne.”

Alphys felt such love for Frisk, then, and she grabbed the human into a tight, grateful hug, close to tears. Frisk not only understood her hesitation, but also understood her need to keep Undyne safe, too.

 _Frisk is probably the best human in the world,_ Alphys thought fondly. _I hate that she jumped, that she was in so much pain to make that decision, but at the same time... at the same time..._

_I’m so glad she jumped._

And when she pulled away and looked at everyone else around her, seeing their family not only as it started, but even larger than it started, she knew they all likely agreed with her.


	16. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big ole lewff scene at the end of the chapter, so heads-up. :3 I thought it would be nice to end on a romantic note, okay?!

Undyne actually did find a solace in being calm and slightly homebound - eventually. At first, she was admittedly very bored, and did spend most of her time in the home gym, trying to stay fit.

“Undyne,” Alphys sighed, the moment Undyne came up from the gym looking beat. “You're going to burn out.”

It was the weekend, so Alphys was able to see just how often Undyne actually used the gym during the day – and it was a lot.

Undyne blushed; Alphys had caught her right at the end of her work-out, and she was wheezing slightly, hunched over and sweating horribly. She was even too tired to reply right away, which made Alphys lean back and cross her arms, looking so much like the Headmistress she now was that, despite herself, Undyne smiled.

“Undyne,” Alphys added, frowning.

Undyne walked up the remaining steps and cupped her hand around Alphys's cheek, and her expression immediately softened, despite herself.

“Alphy,” Undyne replied softly. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, Undyne,” Alphys agreed, touching Undyne's hand and holding it in place. Her other, however, reached up and brushed the sweaty hair from Undyne's face. “But you need to remember your limits, okay?” She paused. “I-I know how hard this is. I really do. B-but... I-I...” She winced. “Undyne...”

Undyne cupped her face, then, and kissed her nose gently. “Sorry,” she whispered honestly. In truth, Alphys was right, and she really was sorry.

Alphys bit her lip, nodding; she believed her. Silently, she wrapped her arms around Undyne's waist, and Undyne hugged her tight, kissing the top of her head, sighing deeply.

“Th-thank you,” she whispered, and Undyne smiled.

After that, Undyne watched herself, and ended up cutting her work-out in half as a result. Which meant more time that needed to be spent.

“Mommy,” Dandelion said softly one evening, sitting in her lap and peering up at her. “Why not watch more TV?”

Undyne blinked at her, surprised. It was a great idea, as for years she'd been putting a ton of anime on the back-burner from lack of time. Now, suddenly, here she was with all of the time in the world.

“Okay, Lioness,” she agreed. “Choose one for me?”

She did, and they started watching it at that moment. Alphys took the time to do some administrative work, and every time she heard the two laugh – in a similar way, too – Alphys grinned.

From there, it was oddly easy. Undyne was glued to the TV for several weeks as she binge-watched the myriad shows she'd set aside, and with every completion, she would explode and rant at Alphys for at least an hour about it – and Alphys loved every single minute of it.

Undyne also became the default Mom when it came to picking up and dropping off Dandelion. Alphys always had to go early and stay late for school, so Undyne would bring Dandelion at a more appropriate time, either to school or back home. Alphys was grateful, and Dandelion loved It – especially since it meant, with Undyne recovered, Dandelion no longer needed babysitting from Basket.

As a result, Undyne grew closer to her youngest, and finally understood why Alphys adored her, despite her being bratty sometimes, as well as having an obvious preference for Alphys. She saw a lot of herself in Dandelion, more than she cared to admit – especially since most of what they shared were flaws. But it oddly worked out, despite that, and their time spent together flourished their relationship.

From there, it was so easy for Undyne to finally calm down. And not only that, but actually find real happiness in doing so.

But it took Alphys – and six months – for her to finally realise it.

* * *

Alphys was already lying down on their bed and reading when Undyne walked in, stretching her back and grinning so widely that it caught Alphys's eye and got her attention. She started giggling the moment she focused, because she knew instantly what it meant, and it made her that happy.

Undyne turned to her and blinked, still grinning. “What's so funny?” she wondered, untying her hair and shaking it loose, sighing from the relief that it brought her scalp.

Alphys cleared her throat, trying to stop, and it took her long enough for Undyne to lie down next to her to be calm. The moment their eyes met, Alphys lit up, and Undyne felt her heart get punched for the millionth time.

“You're happy, Undyne,” she finally said, grabbing Undyne's hand into her own and holding it tight. “You're happy, and content, and it makes me so happy, I laugh.”

Undyne stared at her, shocked. It was true that she was particularly happy at the moment, but if she looked back, she also realised that Alphys was, in fact, right: Undyne had been happy for quite some time, now. It shocked her, because she'd been so sure she'd of given up by now and gone back to teaching (at the very least).

But she wasn't even close to that. She thought of it now and didn't even like the idea, didn't even want to think more about it. She liked her current routine, and wanted to keep it that way.

“Fuck,” she whispered, searching Alphys's eyes, in that shock, still. “I'm... I'm happy.”

“You... d-don’t know, did you?” Alphys asked gently, placing her other hand on Undyne's cheek. When Undyne slowly shook her head, Alphys smiled again, this time wryly. “I knew it. I was testing that. I wanted to make sure.”

“Always a Headmistress, now,” Undyne replied, her grin returning.

Alphys blushed, pleasing Undyne immensely. “Y-yeah,” she agreed shyly. “I-I... I guess... I-I really am...”

Undyne grinned wider, her heart suddenly warm and full – and all of it for Alphys. She leaned closer and whispered, “And you're happy, too.”

Alphys, surprising them both, started weeping, then, her tears silent - save a few sniffles - but tears nonetheless. Undyne leaned even closer and kissed her lips softly, and Alphys tightened her hold on her wife's face in reply, suddenly sitting up and crawling into Undyne's lap, deepening their kiss as she did.

Undyne grabbed hold of her around her waist and returned that kiss, her eye closing and her blood rushing hot. She felt Alphys's tail hook around one of her shins, and that was all it took: Undyne was hers.

They got undressed in a hurry, eager, now, and once they made sure that Dandelion was asleep and their door was locked, they were merged together, both sitting up with Alphys still atop Undyne and holding her face, while Undyne gripped hard onto Alphys's hips and encouraged her to move – and move fast.

Once she was, Alphys opened her eyes and found Undyne already staring at her, her expression one Alphys had seen many times before but could never truly name – until now, finally - because now, she could accept it as real and eternal at last.

Deep, unbreakable, unstoppable love.

Alphys's eyes welled up again, but she lit up, brushing her thumbs over Undyne's warm cheeks slowly. Undyne’s expression changed again, into one of deep vulnerability and surprise, and she dug her nails into Alphys's hips and kissed her again, this time at the curve of Alphys's neck. When she moaned softly and trailed her hands to Undyne's shoulders, Undyne buried her face deeper, biting a little, suddenly desperate to hear more of those sounds – which she immediately did.

Alphys tilted her head back, her eyes shut tight and her claws digging into Undyne's shoulders, her breaths starting to catch and grow raspy the closer she got – and the faster she moved. Undyne pulled away from her neck and pressed her forehead to Alphys's, staring up into her face and watching with a racing heart. Alphys’s face went bright red, her legs tightening around Undyne, and she gasped out Undyne's name the moment she started to come, pressing her own forehead closer to Undyne's.

“Look at me, my love,” Undyne whispered quickly, begging a little.

Alphys groaned out softly but did so, her eyes glazed over and dark, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip; another, now muffled, moan escaped her, and she arched back a little, finally taken over by that bliss.

Undyne quickly reached up and grabbed her face, her eye still darting between Alphys's barely-open eyes. Something there clicked, even when Alphys had to close them and cry out Undyne's name again: Undyne had seen that flash of yellow.

Her mouth went dry, then, her eye wide, even as Alphys leaned heavily against her, her hands covering Undyne's and shaking a little. She panted, swallowing hard several times to try and calm down, but it took a while; in truth, they were both rather pent-up, and this was long-needed intimacy.

“Alphy...” Undyne whispered, her voice so soft that Alphys opened her eyes again slowly, concerned. Again, Undyne saw that sheen of yellow, and again her eye flared in shock. “Oh _fuck_ , Alphy...” she added.

Alphys nodded, worried, now. “Undyne, wh-what's... what-s wr-wrong?” she murmured, still catching her breath. “D-don't stop...”

“Alphy...” Undyne whispered, smiling suddenly, her eye filling with tears. “Holy _shit_... I can't believe I'm married to you... I've never felt so fucking _lucky_...”

Alphys was speechless, now, bewildered and still a little dazed, and all she could do was shake her head.

But Undyne nodded, then pulled her close and kissed her again, unable to help a small sob escaping her when she did. Alphys suddenly grabbed hold of her and fell backwards with her, lying them both down, so that Undyne was the one on top, and immediately, Undyne adjusted and started to move, again.

Alphys's eyes rolled up and squeezed tight, soft cries escaping her, muffled by Undyne's lips. That was exactly what Undyne wanted to hear, as she was deliberately moving not for herself, but for Alphys, again. Alphys's hands reached back and her claws bit into Undyne’s back, her legs almost viselike around her waist, and Undyne felt a thrill slip through her at that.

“ _Undyne_...!” Alphys suddenly groaned out, her voice high-pitched and wavering. “Undyne... I...!”

“Yes,” Undyne agreed, breaking their kiss to watch her again. “Come for me, again, Alphy.”

“B-but...” Alphys protested weakly, her voice catching on that one small word. “Y-you...?”

“I will,” Undyne promised. “Come again, Alphy... and... and...” She swallowed hard. “Look at me, again? Please?”

Alphys felt more confusion from this, but the haze of growing pleasure was already taking over, and she didn't let it linger. Instead, she reached up and clung to Undyne, her arms, legs, and tail hugging onto her tight, her face buried into Undyne's shoulder as her cries increased.

Undyne felt another thrill rush through her at that, then blushed; it wasn't just a thrill she was feeling, apparently. Despite her efforts, she was already close, herself, and she gritted her teeth and tried to hold off – but was losing that fight, fast.

Especially when Alphys looked up at her, gasping out her name, her claws digging in so hard she'd leave scratches – and later apologise for a full ten minutes – but at that moment couldn't care less. She was _so_ close, she was _so close..._

Undyne suddenly growled out, her voice wavering deep in her throat, and she dug her fingers into the bed beneath them, struggling to keep her eye open.

But she didn't miss it, despite her fear. The moment she'd shifted, she'd rubbed against Alphys in just the right way, and Alphys was again done for. She cried out, her eyes glassy and darkening again, blinking hard to keep them open, before she gave up and closed them tight. 

Undyne, however, had still seen it again, and she felt so much, then. She buried her face between Alphys's breasts and cried - _pleaded, begged, sobbed_ – out her own pleasure, feeling it rush through her, even as she felt Alphys lose control beneath her and feel her own again, too.

Undyne clung to her, grinding hard against her in order to make it last for both of them, something that had Alphys pushing up and returning the favour, her breaths fast and wheezing a little.

Then, as if they'd planned it, they both just collapsed, both blacking out for a moment – a rare first, even now, since it was usually only Alphys who did. But Undyne was right there with her, and for that moment, they were both cocooned in the other, and thrilled about it.

After what seemed like forever, and yet not long enough, Alphys whispered out, “Wh... why did...?”

She couldn't finish, too breathless, but Undyne understood, anyway, and smiled. “I... I _needed_ to see it... I _wanted_ to see it...”

“What?” Alphys asked, that confusion coming back.

“Your... determination...” Undyne admitted, reaching up shakily and cupping Alphys's cheek, rubbing the hot, tear-streaked skin slowly.

Alphys's eyes opened in surprise, and she said, “Y-you... could _see_ it?”

Undyne nodded weakly, her own eye still closed – but filling with tears, even as she smiled. “I've seen it, before. I’ve seen it all along, actually. I just... never knew what it was. And now that I do...” She buried her face closer into Alphys's neck. “I _always_ want to see it...”

Alphys was blushing all over, now. “Oh my _god_ ,” she murmured, her voice a trace whiny. “Y-you mean, you s-see it every-every time I-I... I come...?”

“Mmhm...” Undyne replied, grinning wider, now – though her tears hit Alphys's skin at the same time.

Alphys jumped and squirmed a little, trying to pull away enough to look at her wife, but said wife merely burrowed closer, hiding her face with her hair, now.

Before Alphys could even ask, Undyne explained. “I love you, so fucking much, Alphy. I always have, for so fucking long. To suddenly realise that you were determined... that you fucking _grew your own determination..._ ” A soft sob escaped her, then. “I have never, _ever_ loved you more than I do, right now, and that's something I never thought was even _possible_.”

Alphys was crying by the time she was done. “Undyne, th-that only happened... be-because of _you_. It was _you_ who trained me. It was _you_ who made it happen.”

Undyne clung tighter, sobbing again, only a little louder, now, and Alphys held her close, so close that both could feel the other's heart beating against her chest.

“And-and I'm not _special...”_ Alphys suddenly added. “Asriel has it, too. He's had it since he and Chara merged their souls together.”

“It's not the same!” Undyne suddenly cried, surprising Alphys when she jumped up and held herself up with her hands, her arms shaking a little. Her eye blazed, and she was frowning. “Asriel needed human contact for it. So did I. But _you_...” Undyne's eye filled, again, and she smiled brightly. “You really are my warrior wife, aren't you? You have been for almost as long as you've been my wife, haven't you?"

Alphys bit her lip hard, smothering a sob of her own, her eyes filling again. She couldn't speak, now: her throat was closed up, and she was struggling to keep her tears quiet.

But then Undyne's face softened even more, and Alphys couldn't hold back. Undyne pressed back down against her, and they both clung together, sharing a small weep.

And when it eased, Alphys suddenly hooked her tail around Undyne's thigh, and Undyne responded by slowly brushing her lips against Alphys's. Both suddenly lit up from within, and within moments, were making love, once more.

Both kept their eyes open.

* * *

It was a night they'd never forget for the rest of their lives, but not because anything bad followed it - for once. Rather, it was a pocket of true bliss, true pleasure, the kind to be found only with each other, and it was a moment that neither wanted to forget.

Thus, they didn't.

Even long after they were both dust.

Which, now, would be a very, _very_ long time from now, indeed.

**THE END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uuuugh, I'm crying. I can't comprehend that it's actually over. I know I've said it before, but this time, save the short story collections, I know this is the end of my Abovetale. After almost two years and over 500,000 words later, too. 
> 
> And in those two years... holy shit. I've met and befriended so many beautiful and gorgeous people, people whom I'm honoured to know and who gave their attention and support to me through it all. To name you all would take up this entire square, but if you think it's you, it is. Absolutely. 
> 
> I fucken love you guys so much. You have no idea. I started writing to stave off the grief that threatened to kill me - and would have - had I not started this and met the people I did. More than once, you've saved my measly life, and I can never repay you for it, ever. Thank you. Thank you so fucken much. 
> 
> You are priceless to me, precious to my heart, and no matter what, I'll never forget any of you - or ever stop being grateful to you. I love you. I write for you. I live for you. 
> 
> Thank you. :3 thank you for saving this old woman, and making her happy. 
> 
> Thank you. 
> 
> Stay determined.
> 
> Always.


End file.
